LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 


GLIMPSES  OF   ITALIAN 
COURT   LIFE 


OF  THE 
OF 


U^/i  ifUfAi".  fStJGX'U  ^^tAa*it.  ^4Uu  ii4Ue/i4>/A 


TKflrr. 


HER  MAJESTY  QUEEN  ELENA  OF  ITALY 

REPRODUCED    FROM    A   PHOTOGRAPH 
PRESENTED    BY   HER    MAJESTY   TO    THE    AUTHOR 


ITXtlAN-COURI-tlFE- 

•HAPPY'  DAY>S  •  IN  •  ITALIA -ADOK^TA* 


y-::i4^^ 


TKTPHOSA-BATES  -BATCHELLEIV 


NEW-YOBv^ 

DOUBLEDAY-  PAGE  vQ^COMPANY 

-1907 


Copyright,  1906,  by 
Trvphosa  Bates  Batcheller 


PutlitbeJ,  October,   igo6 

All  rights  reserved, 

including  that  of  translation  into  fbrdgn  language*, 

including  the  Scandinavian. 


Fourth  Editiom. 


THE  DEVINNE  PRESS 


DEDICATED 

BY  SPECIAL  PERMISSION 

TO  HER  MOST  GRACIOUS    MAJESTY 

QUEEN  ELENA  OF  ITALY 


213G78 


Lr 


PREFACE 

Italia  Adorata.  These  two  words  seem  to  me 
to  best  express  the  universal  sentiments  of  all  the 
English-speaking  people,  and  indeed  of  all  the  races 
of  the  civilized  v^orld,  toward  the  country  to  which 
we  all  turn  with  a  common  love  and  admiration, — 
for  its  natural  beauties  given  of  God,  for  its  great 
and  historic  past,  for  its  present  and  heroic  re-birth 
into  the  world  of  great  nations, — and  last,  but  not 
least,  for  the  charm  and  rare  intelligence  of  the 
Italian  people. 

Personally  I  owe  to  my  Italian  friends,  for  whom 
I  have  a  real  affection,  an  expression  of  deep  appre- 
ciation for  their  many  and  oft-repeated  kindnesses 
to  me  whenever  I  have  been  in  Italy,  or  wherever 
I  have  met  them  elsewhere  in  the  world.  "  The 
heart  is  good,"  as  our  red  Indians  say,  and  the  heart 
of  an  Italian  friend  is  very  good  always,  I  have 
found. 

In  Italy  many  poets  of  many  countries  have  found 

[v] 


PREFACE 

a  special  inspiration,  and  the  painter  learns  often  for 
the  first  time  the  full  meaning  of  color  when  he 
goes  to  Italy  to  study,  not  only  nature,  but  the 
great  Italian  masters  of  the  past. 

I  have  chosen  to  edit  the  letters  written  from  Italy 
to  my  mother,  father,  and  an  intimate  friend,  be- 
cause I  felt  that  my  readers  would  receive  a  clearer 
picture  of  my  experiences  from  letters  written  directly 
from  the  country. 

I  have  dwelt  for  the  most  part  on  Rome,  where 
I  have  spent  so  many  happy  days. 

The  city  is  becoming  one  of  the  halting  places 
in  the  march  of  the  world.  Travellers  from  the 
West  bound  for  the  Orient  rarely  pass  Italy  by,  and 
generally  run  up  to  Rome  for  a  few  weeks.  In  a 
similar  way  travellers  from  the  Orient,  going  west- 
ward, feel  as  if  they  had  reached  a  sort  of  home 
when  they  arrive  in  dear  Italy.  Gradually  through 
the  many  foreign  marriages  of  the  great  Italian  nobles 
with  women  of  rank  and  position  in  Spain,  Eng- 
land, France  and  America,  society  in  Rome  has  come 
to  be  very  cosmopolitan,  and  one  meets  people  of  cul- 
ture and  distinction  from  all  over  the  world  in  the 
salons  of  the  Roman  matrons,  than  whom  no  more 
delightfril  hostesses  can  be  found  anywhere. 

It  has  also  been  my   pleasure  to  investigate  the 

[vi] 


PREFACE 

conditions  of  the  Italians  who  have  come  to  my 
country,  and  I  have  written  two  letters  on  the  sub- 
ject of  our  Italian  immigration,  which  I  have  studied 
with  much  interest.  The  results  of  my  investi- 
gations have  taught  me  to  appreciate  the  worth  of 
the  Italians  who  are  fast  making  part  of  our  country 
a  piccola  Italia,  as  they  themselves  like  to  say. 

Here  then,  I  offer  to  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty, 
Queen  Elena  of  Italy,  some  of  rny  experiences 
gathered  in  that  dear  country  which,  in  common 
with  all  the  world,  I  love  so  well;  trusting  that  in 
my  impressions  of  Italian  life,  which  I  have  tried 
to  picture,  something  may  be  found  to  interest  and 
please  Her  Majesty,  as  well  as  my  friends  and  readers 
everywhere. 

Tryphosa  Bates  Batcheller. 


[vii] 


INTRODUCTION 

I  VENTURE  to  add  a  few  lines  of  introduction,  as  it 
seems  to  me  there  exists  among  a  certain  class  of  peo- 
ple, particularly  in  America,  a  misapprehension  as  to 
the  value  and  meaning  of  titles. 

True  it  is,  that  in  a  democratic  country  like  our 
own,  there  is  little  place  for  the  consideration  of  this 
subject;  but  democratic  as  we  Americans  are  theo- 
retically, practically  it  is  well  known  that  we  all  re- 
spect a  foreign  title  without  any  definitely  expressed 
reason  to  ourselves.  In  point  of  fact,  there  are  as 
many  class  distinctions  in  America  as  in  any  foreign 
country,  and  we,  unconsciously  perhaps,  put  as  high 
a  value  on  family  name,  birth  and  breeding  as  do  the 
noble  families  of  the  old  world. 

Had  George  Washington  been  made  an  emperor, 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  might 
have  been  dukes  or  princes;  but  our  forefathers  be- 
gan with  other  names :  hero,  patriot,  statesman,  are 
the  titles  of  the  New  World,  for  we  are  a  New  World 


INTRODUCTION 

and  a  young  country.  Our  traditions  are  what  our 
great-grandfathers  have  made  them,  and  we  each  are 
as  proud  of  our  own  heroes  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, who  fought  and  died  that  the  heritage  of  this 
dear  land  might  be  ours,  as  the  foreign  nobleman  is 
proud  of  his  ancestors  who  gave  their  lives  in  the 
service  of  their  country. 

The  worship  and  love  of  ancestors  have  ever  been 
a  marked  characteristic  of  great  people  the  world 
over.  The  Lares  and  Penates  were  ever  the  favored 
gods  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  the  adoration 
of  their  forefathers  is  the  first  duty  of  the  Japanese 
and  Chinese.  After  all,  we  Puritans  from  England 
and  Scotland  are  not  far  behind  in  the  love  and  af- 
fection that  we  bear  our  progenitors,  who  have  given 
us  the  greatest  heritage  of  all,  integrity,  intelligence 
and  intense  love  of  country.  Certain  it  is  that  their 
courage  and  high  purpose  laid  the  foundations  of  our 
own  great  country.  Though  superficially  we  may  be 
considered  a  nation  of  merchants,  at  bottom  we  are 
really  idealists,  and  the  deep-seated  love  of  our  ideals 
will  always  save  us  from  becoming  altogether  material- 
istic. The  keynote  of  our  country  at  the  present 
day  is,  very  properly,  devotion  to  education  which  may 
teach  these  ideals  to  all  who  come  to  us. 

In  the  olden  times  the  strongest  man  ruled;  he 


INTRODUCTION 

built  himself  a  fortress,  and  the  weaker  people  in 
the  vicinity  paid  tribute  in  the  produce  of  their 
farms. 

In  return,  he  gave  them  his  protection  in  times 
of  war,  though  they  were  forced  to  help  him  fight 
his  battles.  He  was  a  duke,  a  prince,  what  you  will, 
because  he  was  strong. 

Later,  the  gallant  soldiers  of  the  European  king- 
doms receive^grants  of  land'  and  a  title  from  their 
sovereigns  foWservice  rendered  to  their  king  and 
country  on  the  field  of  battle,  as  in  the  case  of  John 
Churchill,  made  Duke  of  Marlborough  after  the  battle 
of  Blenheim. 

Happily  in  our  times  wars  are  growing  less  fi-e- 
quent;  therefore  titles  are  now  generally  conferred  • 
upon  those  who  have  achieved  especial  distinction 
in  the  world  of  art,  music,  literature  and  science ; 
so  while  I  am  not  in  any  way  a  title- worshipper,  I  be- 
lieve  fully  in  the  power  of  heredity,  and  I  maintain 
that  titles  have  a  definite  significance. 

Though  everyone  that  bears  a  title  may  not  be 
distinguished  personally,  he  undoubtedly  belongs  to 
a  family  whose  members  have  achieved  distinction, 
and  is  therefore  entitled  to  consideration. 

We  can  hardly  claim  in  America  that  all  the  de- 
scendants of  our  heroes,  patriots  and  statesmen  are 

[xi] 


INTRODUCTION 


distinguished  individually,  but  we  never  hear  the 
names  of  any  of  our  great  men  without  a  feeling  of 
respect  not  only  for  the  progenitors  of  those  names 
but  for  those  who  bear  them  at  the  present  time. 


.J 


4.*»-» 


[xii] 


CONTENTS 

UTTKR  .  .  FAGE 

I   ARRIVAL  IN  ITALY-NAPLES 

December  26,  1904       ...,,,,,  3 

II   TRIP  TO  SAN  MARTINO -NAPLES 

December  27 ,      ,        I4 

III  BEAUTIFUL  CAPRI 

December  28      .      , 24 

IV  AMALFI 

December  30 •••..        3+ 

V    CAVA 

December  30 •      .      .      .        42 

VI    NAPLES 

December  31 ,,        46 

VII   A  BIT  OF  JAPAN,  NAPLES,  ITALY 

January  3,  1905 53 

VIII   THE  BRONZES  OF  THE  NAPLES  MUSEUM 

January  5 64 

IX   THE  JOURNEY  TO  ROME 

January  7 80 

X   HIS  HOLINESS,  THE  POPE,  IN  ST.  PETER'S 

Rome,  Italy,  January  8 86 

XI   A  PRESENTATION  TO  HIS  HOLINESS 

Rome,  Italy,  January  10 95 

XII   ROME 

January  15 102 

[xiii] 


CONTENTS 

UTTER  TACX, 

XIII  ROME 

January  20.      ••••••••••      105 

XIV  ROME 

January  24 •      I09 

XV    ROME 

January  28 112 

XVI   ROME 

January  51 122 

XVII    ROME 

February  9 126 

XVIII   A  DAY  WITH  ST.  PAUL 

February  ii 129 

XIX    ROME 

February  12 14^ 

XX   HER  MAJESTY  QUEEN  ELENA  (Presentation  at  Court) 
February  15 H3 

XXI   ROME 

February  19 155 

XXII   ROME 

February  20 ^5^ 

XXIII  ROME 

February  22 .      .      *70 

XXIV  ROME     (The  Royal  Opera) 

February  23 '7+ 

XXV    ROME     (The  Bal  de  Tetes) 

March  2 ,      »      ^77 

XXVI   RACES  AT  TOR  DI  QUINTO 

Rome,  March  5 186 

XXVII    MUSIC 

Rome,  March  6 19' 

XXVIII   THE  COURT  BALL 

Rome,  March  7 208 

[xiv] 


CONTENTS 

LKTTKR  PAGE 

XXIX   PRESENTATION    TO    HER    MAJESTY    QUEEN 
MARGHERITA 
Rome,  March  8 222 

XXX  THE  ROMAN  LENT 

Rome,  March  9        ,,,,,,,,.      232 

XXXI  SIGHT-SEEING 

Rome,  March  lo,,,,,,,,,      246 

XXXII   ROME 

March  II ,,      261 

XXXIII  PALAZZO  MASSIMO 

Rome,  March  17 263 

XXXIV  THE  LAST  HUNT  OF  THE  SEASON 

Rome,  March  23 274 

XXXV  THE  COLONNA  PALACE 

Rome,  March  29 ,      ,      281 

XXXVI   PALAZZO  FARNESE  AND  JOACHIM 

Rome,  March  30 ,      ,      ,      .      291 

XXXVII   INDUSTRIE  FEMMINILI 

Rome,  March  31 299 

XXXVIII   HIS  EXCELLENCY  SIGNOR  TITTONI 

Rome,  April  i .321 

XXXIX   MME.  HELBIG  AND  VILLA  LANTE 

Rome,  April  2 326 

XL   BRITISH  EMBASSY 

Rome,  April  4 332 

XLI   ROME, 

April  6 336 

XLII   TIVOLI 

Rome,  April  7 338 

XLIII   ADELAIDE  RISTORI 

Rome,  April  9 343 

[XV] 


CONTENTS 

LETTER  FACE 

XLIV    ROME 

April  II 358 

XLV   HER  EXCELLENCY  THE  MARCHESA  DI  RUDINI 

Rome,  April  12 ,      .      360 

XLVI   ROME 

April  14 375 

XLVII   MILAN 

April  20 378 

XLVIII   ITALIANS  IN  BOSTON 

Boston,  December •      •      •      .      385 

XLIX   ITALIANS  IN  NEW  YORK 

New  York,  February,  1 906 400 

L   HIS  MAJESTY  THE  KING  VICTOR  EMMANUEL  III 

A  Brief  History  of  the  House  of  Savoy  ....      432 


[xvi] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Her  Majesty  Queen  Elena  of  Italy, Frontispiece 

FACING  PACK 

The  Bay  of  Naples,  showing  Castello  d'Ovo  on  the  Point,     ...  6 

Neapolitan  Cart, l6 

View  of  the  Town  of  Capri, 24 

The  Road  from  Capri  to  Anacapri, 30 

View  of  the  Town  of  Amalfi, 34 

Terrace  of  the  Capuchin  Monastery  at  Amalfi, 38 

The  Temple  of  Neptune  at  Paestum, 48 

The  House  of  the  Vettii  at  Pompeii, 56 

Room  of  the  Bronzes  in  the  Naples  Museum, 70 

View  of  Monte  Cassino,  showing  Monastery  on  Top  of  Mountain,  .      .  82 

The  Barberini  Palace  and  Garden, ,     .  84 

His  Holiness  the  Pope, 86 

View  of  Rome  from  St.  Peter's, 90 

Mrs.  Francis  Batcheller  as  Presented  to  His  Holiness  the  Pope,    .     .  96 

The  Villa  Doria  and  Gardens, 1 1  o 

Prof.  Dmitry  Helbig  in  Nova  Zembla,         120 

View  of  the  Roman  Campagna,  showing  Ruined  Aqueducts,        .      .  iz8 

Wine  Cart  of  the  Castelli  Romani,     .      .          132 

View  of  the  Interior  of  the  Basilica  of  St.  Paul's  Outside  the  Walls,  .  134 

Children  of  Their  Majesties,  the  King  and  Queen  of  Italy,    .     .     .  150 

The  Duchess  Visconti  di  Modrone,        168 

[  xvii  1 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

rACING   PAGE 

The  Marchesa  Camillo  Casati, i8o 

Her  Excellency  Donna  Bice  Tittoni, 182 

Prof.  Sgambati  in  his  Music  Room,  from  a  photograph  by  the  author,  192 

View  from  the  Piazza  di  Spagna  of  the  Steps  Leading  to  the  Church  of 

Santissima  Trinita  de'    Monti, 194 

The  Marchese  and  Marchesa  dc  la  Rcgata  de  Castrone,    .      .      .      .  202 

Prof.  Alessandro  Bustini, 206 

The  Princess  Viggiano, 214 

Her  Majesty  Queen  Margherita, 222 

The  Princess  d'  Antuni,           238 

The  Marchese  Cappelli, 242 

The  Marchesa  Cappelli, 244 

The  Pantheon  of  Agrippa, 254 

The  Massimo  Palace, 264 

Prince  Massimo, 268 

The  Meet, 274 

The  Hunt  across  the  Campagna, 276 

The  Gallery  of  the  Colonna  Palace,        ....,.,,.  280 

His  Excellency  Count  Gianotti,        282 

Her  Excellency  Countess  Gianotti,         ...284 

The  Coimtess  Balbis  and  Donna  Marsella  Gianotti, 286 

The  Farnese  Palace,  now  the  French  Embassy, 292 

Scuola  Canonica  of  the  Countess  Tavema  at  Como, 304 

Pictures  of  laces, 308 

Portrait  of  Vittoria  Colonna  in  Colonna  Gallery,     .     .     .     .     .     .  316 

His  Excellency  Signor  Tittoni, 322 

The  Cascades  and  Waterfalls  at  Tivoli, 338 

View  of  Villa  d'Este  at  Tivoli,          340 

The  Marchesa  Capranica  del  Grillo  (Adelaide  Ristori),    .     .     .     .  344 

[  xviii  ] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

rACING  PAGX 

Her  Excellency  the  Marchesa  di  Rudini, 36c 

The  ballet  of  H.   E,,   the  Marchesa  di   Rudini, 364 

The  Company  of  H.  E.  the  Marchesa  di  Rudini,  showing  Baron 

Gino  di  Morpurgo  in  the  centre, 366 

The  Count  San  Martino, 376 

Interior  of  Borromeo  Palace  at  Isola  Bella  (Lago  Maggiore),  .     .     .  380 

Isola  Bella  at  Lago  Maggiore, 382 

Throne  Room  of  Borromeo  Palace  at  Isola  Bella, 384 

Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe, 396 

Garden  and  Court  Yard  of  Mrs.  John  L.  Gardner's  Palace  at  Boston,  398 

His  Majesty  King  Victor  Emmanuel  of  Italy, 432 

Interior  of  the  Palace  at  Turin, 444 

Music  of  Italian  National  Hymn, 470 


[xix] 


GLIMPSES  OF   ITALIAN 
COURT  LIFE 


(f  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 

t^'^LlFOR'^J^ 


I 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

ARRIVAL    IN    ITALY 

Naples,  Italy,  December  26,  1904 
My  dear  Mother: 

I  MUST  tell  you  about  our  landing  last  night, 
which  was  quite  amusing  at  first,  but  came  very 
near  being  disastrous  at  the  end.  Our  good  ship 
that  had  brought  us  safely  across  the  Atlantic  was 
steaming  slowly  and  majestically  into  the  bay.  On 
our  left  was  the  lovely  Island  of  Ischia,  wrapped  in  the 
soft  lights  and  haze  of  early  evening.  It  was  just  the 
sunset  hour,  and  on  our  right  Vesuvius  was  letting 
forth  a  small  white  cloud  of  smoke  from  his  crater,  as 
though  he  were  enjoying  quite  comfortably  his  after 
dinner  cigarette.  The  eye  almost  unconsciously  fol- 
lowed the  smooth,  curved  line  from  the  crater  down  to 
the  little  outlying  suburbs  of  the  great  city  of  Naples, 
and  as  the  purple  and  violet  lights  melted  away  in 
the  deep  blue  water,  the  artificial  lights  of  "Bella 
Napoli"  began  twinkling  and  beckoning  to  us.  It 
was  all  so  perfect,  so   wonderful,  so  incomparably 

[3] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

beautiful,  that  I  felt  that  my  fairy  god-mother  could 
not  have  given  me  a  better  Christmas  present  than 
the  privilege  of  beholding  the  lovely  scene  before 
me. 

I  was,  therefore,  much  surprised,  when  a  man 
standing  near  me  on  the  deck,  said  in  a  most  assertive 
way,  "  Yes,  we  are  going  on  to  Genoa  at  once,  as 
there  is  nothing  to  see  in  Naples."  I  suppose  I  must 
have  shown  my  astonishment,  for  the  man  turned 
half  apologetically  to  me  and  said,  "  Have  you  ever 
been  in  Naples  ?  Is  there  really  anything  to  see  ?  *' 
My  answer,  if  it  had  been  complete,  would  have 
filled  volumes,  but  I  merely  said,  "  You  know  the 
saying,  *See  Naples  and  die.*  I  never  lose  an  oppor- 
tunity to  stay  in  Naples  as  long  as  possible;  there 
is  not  only  so  much  of  interest  in  the  museum,  but 
in  and  about  the  city  all  sorts  of  delightful  excursions 
are  to  be  made." 

As  I  walked  towards  the  forward  part  of  the  ship,  I 
looked  down  at  the  steerage  passengers,  who  were 
standing  in  crowds  on  the  deck  below,  and  F.  B.  and 
I  both  felt  that  they  held  their  heads  extra  high  just 
now,  for  very  pride  of  belonging  to  this  glorious  land 
before  us.  One  man,  who  had  evidently  been  most 
prosperous  in  America,  was  wearing  a  good-looking 
heavy  overcoat,  soft  felt  hat  and  a  nice  pair  of  leather 

[4] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

boots.  In  the  eyes  of  these  men  the  boots  are  an 
important  part  of  the  appearance,  for  many  of  them 
went  from  their  homes  very  poorly  shod.  He 
was  armed  with  a  broom-brush,  borrowed  from  the 
steward,  and  was  marshaling  all  the  men  about  him, 
brushing  each  one  with  the  greatest  care.  It  was 
really  very  amusing  to  watch  these  home-coming 
Italians  who  had  gone  away  to  labor  in  a  strange 
land.  Most  of  them  looked  as  if  they  had  fared  very 
well  and  prospered,  but  of  course  there  were  some  to 
whom  Fate  had  not  been  kind,  who  now  were  re- 
turning heart-broken  to  their  own  sunny  land. 

One  man,  who  had  been  in  America  but  a  short 
time,  had  come  back  to  spend  the  Christmas  holi- 
days with  his  family.  He  stood  far  up  in  the  bow, 
eagerly  looking  for  his  dear  ones  on  the  shore,  but 
the  man  with  the  brush  summoned  him,  and  as  he 
reluctantly  turned  about  to  be  made  quite  clean,  we 
had  a  good  chance  to  look  him  over.  He  was  thinly 
and  poorly  clad,  an  old  cap  on  his  head,  a  loose, 
collarless  shirt,  and  trousers  that  could  be  truthfully 
called  "  pants  "  ;  never  mind!  these  same  pants  were 
turned  up  about  six  inches  at  the  ankles,  to  display 
to  the  fullest  possible  advantage  the  pride  of  his 
heart — a  pair  of  fine  patent  leather  shoes.  My, 
how  they  did  shine  !   and  he  felt  and  wanted  every- 

[s] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

one  to  feel  with  him,  for  the  time  being,  that  he 
was  all  feet.  It  was  certainly  amusing  to  see  him 
strut  about  with  those  shoes.  We  asked  about  him, 
and  learned  that  he  will  soon  return  again  to  his 
work  in  America.  Next  time  he  comes  back  to  his 
dear  Italy,  I  dare  say,  he  will  be  as  grand  as  the  man 
with  the  broom-brush  and  the  black  overcoat. 

We  were  bundled  into  the  custom-house  along 
with  the  second  and  third  class  passengers,  and  pande- 
monium followed.  Naples,  you  know,  is  the  noisiest 
city  in  the  world,  and  that  custom-house  last  night 
must  have  been  the  wildest  scene  of  yelling,  scream- 
ing people  that  ever  was  in  Naples.  After  dumping 
our  trunks  on  the  dock,  the  porters  proceeded  to 
scatter  them  into  three  separate  ware-houses,  and  I 
assure  you,  it  was  like  hunting  for  a  needle  in  a  hay- 
mow to  find  one's  own  baggage  at  all.  As  we  stepped 
from  the  gang-plank,  several  guides  rushed  up  to  us, 
and  I  asked  the  most  intelligent  looking  one  to  stay 
by  us,  for  dear  Mrs.  Gouverneur  Morris  of  New  York 
was  with  us,  and  there  were  numerous  trunks  to  be 
found. 

Signor  Antoni  proved  most  polite,  and  as  we  hur- 
ried to  the  ware-house,  he  said,  "  The  Signorina  is  a 
lady  guide,  how  many  in  her  party?  She  speak  Italian 
very  well."     Antoni   labored  hard  for  the  salvation 

[6] 


s 


X 

<     o 

o   d 

ID 


iborcd 

r  A  1 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

of  the  baggage,  but  the  rescue  was  not  easy.  Porters 
yelled  to  other  porters ;  enraged  custom-house  officers 
ordered  off  the  Italian  peasants  waiting  about  the 
buildings,  while  Signor  Antoni  and  I  played  at  hide- 
and-seek  amongst  hundreds  of  trunks.  Mine  were 
striped  with  white  bands,  so  in  time  we  found  these, 
and  then  Mrs.  M.  and  Antoni  wrestled  with  the 
situation  for  another  quarter  of  an  hour.  The  custom- 
house officer  came  to  examine  them,  passed  them 
quickly,  and  was  most  polite,  but  a  moment  later  I  saw 
him  get  furious  because  one  of  my  fellow  voyagers 
offered  him  a  gold  piece.     As  he  stalked  indignantly 

away  Mr. said  to  me,  "  I  meant  well  anyhow, 

and  I  have  always  heard  that  these  people  take  tips." 
**  No,"  I  said,  "  you  must  remember  modern  Italy  is 
trying  to  maintain  very  high  standards,  and  deserves 
great  credit  for  her  success.**  We  were  all  disgusted 
at  the  steamship  management,  which  really  was  too 
careless  for  words.  The  emigrants,  who  had  been 
refused  admittance  to  America,  were  pushed  indis- 
criminately among  us,  and  we  feared  infection  and  all 
sorts  of  trouble.  Some  people  did  get  influenza,  and 
two  ladies  lost  their  trunks  altogether,  so  we  felt 
rather  lucky  after  all,  when  Antoni  put  us  into  the 
Vesuve  omnibus,  and  we  knew  that  the  worst  was 
over  and  that  we  were  really  "all  there.** 

l7] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

I  learned  the  Italian  saying,  "  Ci  vuol  pazienza 
(you  must  be  patient),"  while  we  were  hunting  the 
last  stray  trunk,  for  Antoni  said  it  over  and  over  to 
me,  and  I  feel  sure  it  will  become  a  watch-word 
between  F.  B.  and  me,  especially  when  I  am  dressing 
for  dinner.  "  Hurry  "  cannot  be  adequately  translated 
into  Italian,  so  Ci  vuol  pazienza  should  be  learned 
by  every  one  intending  to  stay  any  time  at  all  in  dear 
old  Italy. 

But  here  we  are  snug  and  warm  in  this  nice  hotel 
Vesuve.  We  have  been  here  so  many  times,  that  the 
good  Swiss  landlord  greeted  us  at  the  door  as  if  we 
had  been  his  relatives,  and  gave  special  instructions 
to  his  men  as  to  our  rooms  and  the  heating  of  them. 
What  do  you  suppose  our  hotel  landlords  in  America 
would  do  if  they  were  expected  to  greet  every  new  ar- 
rival personally  ?  Fancy  Mr.  Boldt  standing  at  the  door 
of  "  Peacock  Alley  "  at  the  Waldorf,  with  a  diagram 
of  the  hotel  rooms  in  his  hand,  and  assigning  every 
room  to  each  traveler  himself!  However,  in  dear 
Italy  this  is  precisely  what  happens,  at  least  at  the 
Hotel  Vesuve. 

Nearly  all  the  hotels  in  Italy,  and  indeed  in  many 
other  countries  now-a-days,  are  managed  and  directed 
by  the  Swiss;  certainly,  these  Swiss  landlords  whom 
we   have   met  know  how  to   make  us  delightfully 

(81 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

comfortable — and  Oscar  Tschirky,  that  paragon  of 
the  Waldorf,  is  also  Swiss,  you  know. 

We  insisted  on  steam  heat  and  southern  exposure, 
so  our  rooms  are  very  sunny  and  warm.  They  are 
directly  opposite  the  Castello  delF  Ovo,  where  that 
dissolute  and  much  married  Johanna  I  of  Naples  was 
imprisoned  so  long.  She  was  married  when  only 
seven  years  old  to  Andrew  of  Hungary,  but  in  1 345 
she  had  him  ruthlessly  strangled,  as  she  wanted  to 
marry  Louis  of  Tarranto.  He  pleased  little  better, 
and  she  married  twice  after  that.  At  the  time  of  the 
revolution  in  Naples,  she  was  seized  and  imprisoned 
in  the  castle,  and  afterwards  hanged  by  the  king  of 
Hungary,  a  brother  of  her  first  unfortunate  husband. 
The  Castello  was  begun  in  1 1 54,  and  it  certainly 
looks  its  age. 

I  enjoy  watching  the  fishermen  and  boys  in  the 
Borgo  dei  Marinari  (Place  of  the  Fishermen)  just  at 
the  side  of  the  castle  on  the  island;  the  bridge  too, 
connecting  the  island  with  the  main  land,  is  the  scene 
of  constant  passing,  for  the  Castello  is  now  used  as 
barracks,  and  soldiers  in  curious  uniforms  are  con- 
stantly going  in  and  out.  All  the  Italian  uniforms 
are  most  picturesque  and  attractive,  but  the  bersagl- 
ieri,  the  picked  men  of  the  Italian  army,  are  always 
a  source  of  delight  to  me.     They  wear  dark  blue 

[9l 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

uniforms  with  crimson  pipings,  black  tarpaulin  hats 
worn  very  much  to  one  side,  trimmed  with  masses  of 
green  cock  feathers,  which  blow  merrily  in  the  breeze 
as  they  walk  swiftly  by.  They  are  supposed  to  be 
the  best  shots  and  the  fastest  marching  men  of  the 
Italian  army. 

This  morning  we  awoke  to  see  the  ground  white 
with  snow,  a  most  unusual  sight  in  Naples,  but  in 
spite  of  the  shivering  cold,  the  restaurantCy  or 
"  restoration "  (as  F.  B.  calls  it),  of  the  fishermen 
was  duly  arranged  with  its  out-of-door  tables  and  the 
white  table-cloths  flapped  in  the  bitter  cold  Tramon- 
tana,  in  a  way  that  made  me  shiver.  The  women 
were  evidently  equally  determined  not  to  admit  the 
fact  that  it  was  cold  winter  in  their  lovely  land  of 
sun,  for  they  bravely  brought  their  washing  to  the 
public  faucet,  and  scrubbed  away  until  the  week's 
linen  was  cleaned.  Now  the  water  did  not  freeze,  so 
it  really  could  not  have  been  so  fearfully  cold  after 
all,  but  when  I  went  out  for  a  walk  this  morning  to 
my  favorite  coral  shops  in  the  Via  Calabritto,  I  was 
profoundly  grateful  for  my  furs. 

The  Sahara  desert  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  snow- 
covered  Calabrian  mountains  on  the  other,  make 
Naples  warm  and  balmy,  and  frightfully  windy  and 
cold  alternately.     The  Tramontanay  or  North  wind 

[lo] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

(literally,  wind  from  the  mountains),  blows  three, 
six,  or  nine  days,  and  this  is  also  true  of  the  SciroccOy 
or  South  wind,  which  is  warm  and  very  enervating. 
They  say  here  that  it  makes  one  very  irritable;  people 
sometimes  forgive  serious  offenses  if  the  Scirocco  is 
blowing,  as  everyone  is  expected  to  be  in  bad  temper, 
and  nearly  everyone  meets  the  expectation.  Never 
go  shopping  in  a  Scirocco,  you  will  be  worsted  in 
the  bargain,  and  will  find  yourself  on  edge  at  the  end 
of  the  first  hour.  When  you  shop  in  Naples  make  it 
a  rule  to  be  smiling  and  amiable  on  all  occasions  and 
under  the  most  trying  circumstances.  The  Nea- 
politans will  almost  give  you  what  you  wish  to  buy 
if  you  smile  pleasantly  at  them  and  chat  kindly  with 
them  about  their  own  city. 

We  can  generally  be  our  own  weather  prophets 
here,  for  Vesuvius  is  a  natural  barometer  for  Naples; 
a  change  of  the  weather  is  known  twenty-four  hours 
beforehand,  by  the  direction  in  which  the  smoke 
issuing  from  its  crater,  is  blowing.  When  it  blows 
towards  Capri,  the  weather  is  sure  to  be  good,  but 
when  the  crater  is  concealed  by  thick  clouds,  the 
Scirocco  is  sure  to  come,  and  rain  along  with  it. 

To-morrow  we  are  going  to  San  Martino,  if  the 
day  is  fine,  and  to  the  opera  in  the  evening.  As  I 
was  writing,  the  strains  of  O  Sole  Mioy  one  of  the 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Italian  street  songs,  called  me  to  the  window.  I  love 
the  simple  melodies  of  these  Neapolitan  airs.  How 
these  men  can  sing  this  cold  night  out  of  doors  I 
cannot  imagine,  but  the  Neapolitans  can  sing  their 
own  sweet  songs  "at  any  old  time,"  and  they  always 
have  the  same  fascination.  I  put  a  few  soldi  in 
an  envelope,  and  threw  it  down  from  my  balcony. 
**Grazie,  grazt'e,  Signora  Contessdy'  came  back  from 
the  street  below,  and  the  song  was  repeated.  There 
is  a  subtle  charm  about  the  voices  of  these  Neapoli- 
tans, even  of  these  street  singers.  What  that 
charm  is  when  developed  in  a  really  wonderful  voice, 
we  all  realize  when  we  listen  to  Caruso's  beau- 
tiful notes.  He  was  a  Neapolitan  boy,  you  know, 
and  I  dare  say  sang  these  very  songs  on  his  way 
to  school. 

The  folk-songs  of  all  countries  to  me  seem  beau- 
tiful. They  are  the  spontaneous  expression  of  some 
joyous  or  sad  heart,  and  as  they  come  from  the  heart, 
they  go  straight  to  the  heart. 

Don't  you  remember  how  delighted  President 
Roosevelt  was  when  I  sang  some  ballads  the  even- 
ing that  Mrs.  Roosevelt  gave  that  charming  musicale 
for  me  at  the  White  House?  I  shall  never  forget 
his  insistence  for  the  second  verse  of  each  song. 

[12] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Sir  Purdon  Clarke  is  another  wonderful  man  with 
a  great  mind  and  a  big  heart  who  loves  the  good  old 
songs  of  England  and  Scotland.  To  me,  however, 
the  Neapolitan  airs  are  especially  attractive. 

As  the  last  sounds  died  away,  the  memory  of  the 
Andante  of  Mendelssohn's  Italian  symphony  came 
back  to  me.  How  lovely  it  is!  Don't  you  think 
he  must  have  written  the  last  strains  with  the  sweet 
melodies  of  these  Italian  songs  sounding  faintly  in 
his  ears? 

Good  night,  my  dear,  it  is  late,  and  I  shall  be 
lulled  to  sleep  with  the  strains  of  Santa  Lucia 
beneath    my    window. 

"  Naples !  thou  heart  of  men  which  ever  pantest 
Naked  beneath  the  lidless  eye  of  heaven ! 
Elysian  City,  which  to  calm  enchantest 
The  mutinous  air  and  sea, — they  round  thee,  even 
As  Sleep  round  Love,  are  driven ! 
Metropolis  of  a  ruined  paradise 
Long  lost,  late  won,  and  yet  but  half  regained ! 
Bright  altar  of  the  bloodless  sacrifice 
Which  armed  Victory  offers  up  unstained 
To  Love  the  flower-enchanted  ! 
Thou  which  wert  once,  and  then  didst  cease  to  be. 
Now  art,  and  henceforth  ever  shalt  be,  free. 
If  Hope  and  Truth  and  Justice  can  avail, — 
Hail,  hail,  all  hail!" 


[13] 


II 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

TRIP    TO    SAN    MARTINO 

Naples,  Italy,  December  27,  1904 

My  dear  Mother : 

THIS  morning  we  took  one  of  the  funny 
little  cabs,  victorias  on  stilts,  I  call  them, 
and  started  for  San  Martino.  We  did  not 
ask  the  driver  how^  much  he  would  take  us  for,  but 
we  told  him  we  intended  to  go  in  his  carriage  and 
would  pay  him  so  much.  It  is  hopeless,  if  you  do  not 
know  Italian,  but  perfectly  simple  to  manage  these 
people  if  you  can  scold  them  properly  in  their  own 
tongue.  I  found  out  from  our  landlord  about  what 
I  should  pay,  and  then  I  managed  for  myself,  to  the 
disgust  of  the  magnificent  gold-laced  porter  at  the 
door. 

Our  little  horse  was  dressed  out  this  fine  morning 
in  his  best  harness,  which  was  literally  covered  with 
brass  nails,  while  on  the  saddle  a  silver  model  of 
himself  was  madly  prancing.  The  driver  demurred 
at  my  terms,  as  I  expected  he  would,  so  I  smilingly 

[H] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

added  another  lira  to  the  bargain,  thus  making  the 
price  exactly  what  I  had  originally  intended  to  pay, 
and  giving  him  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  he 
had  not  been  altogether  worsted  by  the  hard-hearted 
foreign  lady.  As  we  galloped  through  the  pretty, 
tropical  Viale  Nazionale,  with  its  palms  and  pal- 
mettoes,  ragged  little  urchins  ran  out  holding  up 
their  fore-fingers  and  looking  eagerly  at  us.  At  first 
I  could  not  imagine  what  they  wanted,  but  when  one 
little  fellow  on  the  chance  of  being  understood  by 
the  foreigners,  called  out  "  Un  soldo y  un  soldo ^'^  I  un- 
derstood that  the  one  finger  was  their  language  for 
one  penny.  Foolishly  we  threw  them  some  coins,  but 
we  were  soon  sorry,  for  presently  we  were  followed  by 
a  dozen  or  more  screaming  boys,  the  beggars  joined, 
and  we  had  to  tell  the  cocchiere  (the  coachman) 
to  whip  up  and  get  away  as  fast  as  he  could  with  his 
little  steed. 

The  horses  about  here  are  very  small,  yet  wonder- 
fully strong;  and  as  for  the  wee  donkeys,  the  loads 
that  they  draw  and  the  noise  that  they  make,  seem 
to  be  in  an  inverse  ratio  to  their  size.  On  the  road 
this  morning,  we  passed  some  extraordinary  looking 
carts.  The  saddles  of  the  harnesses  of  these  dray  horses 
were  decorated  with  brass  nails,  brass  flags,  and  small 
brass  ornaments  in  the  most  picturesque,  useless  way. 

[■5] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

The  poor  animals  look  quite  worn  out,  carrying  their 
big  loads  and  all  that  finery  into  the  bargain.  How- 
ever, to  look  at,  they  are  most  effective,  and  in  this 
glorious  country,  the  picturesque  is  as  important  to  the 
natives,  by  very  force  of  environment,  as  the  air  they 
breathe. 

I  bought  this  morning  some  delightful  little  water- 
colors  of  Ischia  and  Capri.  Everybody  at  home  will 
say  they  are  exaggerated  in  color;  in  point  of  fact, 
they  are  really  not  bright  enough.  I  have  heard  that 
Queen  Margherita  has  said,  that  Naples  is  such  a  gor- 
geous festival  of  colors,  and  one's  enjoyment  of  it  so 
keen,  that  it  is  very  tiring  to  stay  here  very  long  at 
any  one  time. 

When  we  at  last  reached  the  beautiful  belvedere  of 
the  convent  of  San  Martino,  all  Naples  lay  stretched 
before  us.  Vesuvius  in  the  distance  directly  oppo- 
site, and  the  wonderful  harbor  to  the  right.  Our 
Italian  guide  asked  us  to  put  both  hands  to  our  ears, 
and  look  down  into  the  city,  and  as  we  did  so,  we 
heard  the  most  astonishing  noise.  It  was  as  if  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  voices  were  all  mingled  into 
one  great  rumbling  roar.  Naples  certainly  lives  up 
to  its  reputation  of  being  the  noisiest  city  in  the 
world. 

We  thought  it  was  quite  warm  on  our  drive  up, 

[i6] 


by  ye* 


o 

< 

o 

< 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  sunshine  was  so  lovely,  in  spite  of  the  light  fall  of 
snow,  but,  once  inside  the  convent,  we  shivered  and 
shook  and  drew  our  furs  closely  about  us,  so  I  am 
afraid  we  did  not  altogether  do  justice  to  the  many 
interesting  things  in  the  place.  We  did  see  the  State 
coach,  however,  which  was  used  by  Victor  Emmanuel 
and  Garibaldi,  when  they  entered  the  City  of  Naples 
in  i860.  We  took  time  to  enjoy  Stanzioni's  "  De- 
scent from  the  Cross,"  the  "Nativity"  by  Guido  Reni, 
who  died  before  the  picture  was  finished,  and  on  the 
altar  of  the  sacristy  we  admired  the  eucharist  cup  with 
the  wonderful  ruby.  Fancy  the  old  monks  living 
there,  year  in  and  year  out,  never  speaking  except 
on  Sunday  mornings !  However,  it  certainly  must 
have  been  an  ideal  place  for  meditation,  for  the  clois- 
ter and  garden  are  lovely,  aside  from  the  magnifi- 
cent view. 

As  we  were  driving  down,  we  passed  a  little  res- 
taurant where  F.  B.  told  me  he  met  last  year  a 
young  Italian  boy  from  Boston.  He  was  eating  his 
lunch  when  this  young  man  spoke  to  him,  offering 
his  services  as  a  guide  to  Camaldoli.  F.  B.  thought 
it  would  be  rather  nice  to  go,  and  they  started  off 
across  country  through  the  vineyards.  Women  are 
not  allowed  to  go  at  all.  The  Camaldolensian 
Order  was  founded  in  1585  by  Prince  Colonna,  and 

[17] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

suppressed  by  the  Italian  Government  in  1863.  It 
has  now  passed  into  private  hands,  but  is  still  inhabi- 
ted by  ten  monks.  Each  monk  lives  in  a  little  house 
by  himself,  the  houses  all  being  in  a  row.  One  of 
the  monks  took  F.  B.  about,  showed  him  everything, 
how  they  live,  how  they  keep  their  gardens,  and  then 
took  him  to  the  most  desirable  point  to  enjoy  the 
view.  F.  B.  says  the  view  is  really  better  than  the  one 
from  San  Martino,  which  we  have  just  seen,  though 
it  seems  to  me  hardly  possible. 

As  we  drove  down  into  Naples  again,  we  were 
much  amused  at  the  washing  which  was  hung  up 
on  poles  fastened  in  the  sidewalk.  The  Neapolitans 
actually  live  in  the  street,  and  even  the  meals  are 
prepared  by  itinerant  cooks  on  the  sidewalk,  before 
any  house  to  which  they  happen  to  be  called. 

Before  going  home  I  stopped  at  Signora  Piscione's 
to  see  some  of  her  fascinating  corals.  Her  gold 
medal  necklace  of  Sardinian  coral,  I  am  happy  to 
say,  is  fast  locked  in  my  trunk.  She  seemed  de- 
lighted to  see  me  again,  and  told  me  about  her  hand- 
some son,  who  has  a  fine  tenor  voice.  I  picked  up  some 
pretty  necklaces  for  presents,  and  one  especially  for 
you,  of  white  coral  with  pink  dots.  She  says  it  is 
rather  "mongrel  coral,"  but  I  think  it  is  quite  effec- 
tive for  a  change.     You  hear  people  say,  "coral  is 

[18] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

coral/'  but  that,  of  course,  shows  how  little  they 
really  know  about  it ;  in  point  of  fact,  there  is  as  much 
difference  between  fine  and  poor  coral  as  there  is 
between  a  pure  and  an  off-colored  diamond.  The 
beads  of  pure  Sardinian  coral,  when  free  from  all  sea 
marks,  are  like  pink  pearls,  very  rare  and  very  ex- 
pensive. The  divers  have  to  go  down  to  great 
depths  in  the  water  to  get  the  branches  of  this  color, 
and  a  large  perfect  bead  can  be  cut  only  from  a  large 
branch.  The  Signora  was  very  kind,  and  obligingly 
pulled  several  strings  of  beads  to  pieces,  in  order  that 
I  might  have  just  the  right  sizes  together;  and  she 
was  also  very  fair  in  her  prices,  as  these  people  are,  if 
you  take  them  in  the  right  way. 

All  along  this  Via  Calabritto  the  shops  are  simply 
enchanting.  In  one  of  the  largest  of  them,  there  is 
a  whole  room  devoted  to  coral,  another  to  tortoise 
shell,  and  another  to  lava  taken  from  Vesuvius  at 
different  times,  and  made  into  bracelets  and  all  sorts  of 
trinkets.  Signor  Melillo  always  has  a  wonderful 
collection  in  his  shop  also.  Especially  attractive  are 
the  little  jettature  made  from  different  shades  of 
coral. 

The  Neapolitans  are  very  superstitious,  and  almost 
all  of  them  wear  one  of  these  little  charms,  because 
they  believe  them  to  be  an  offset  to    the  jettatura 

[■9] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

or  "  evil  eye "  that  they  talk  about.  This  even- 
ing at  the  opera,  a  very  richly  dressed  lady  w^as 
pointed  out  to  us  in  one  of  the  boxes.  As  she 
came  in  and  took  her  seat,  I  noticed  that  all  the 
men  touched  their  charm — or  jettatura  —  or, 
failing  this,  they  formed  their  left  hand  into  a 
pair  of  horns,  by  stretching  out  the  first  and  little 
fingers  and  holding  together  their  second  and 
third  fingers  tightly  in  the  palm  of  the  hand  with 
the  thumb.  Of  course,  they  did  not  allow  this  lady 
to  see  what  they  were  doing,  but  any  close  observer 
could  remark  that  almost  every  one  went  through 
the  motion.  I  asked  an  Italian  friend  about  it,  and 
she  said,  "Oh  yes,  she  has  the  evil  eye,  and  brings  ill 
luck  everywhere."  Poor  lady!  She  was  most  attractive 
to  look  at,  and  probably  is  quite  ignorant  of  her  sup- 
posed ill  fortune.  Some  of  the  little  charms  are  made 
to  represent  the  hand  folded  in  the  way  described. 
These  Neapolitan  merchants  are  most  artistic,  and 
have  copied  and  reproduced  successfully  many  of  the 
necklaces  found  in  Pompeii,  now  in  the  museum  of 
Naples.  The  museum  claims  us  tomorrow,  and 
that  reminds  me,  I  am  sending  home  a  lovely  bronze, 
a  replica  of  the  beautiful  black  bronze  Mercury, 
found  at  Herculaneum.    It  is  the  most  perfect  thing 

[20] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

in  art,  I  believe.      Charles  Sumner  left  his  replica, 
you  know,  to  dear  Mrs.  Howe. 

We  enjoyed  the  opera  at  the  San  Carlo  this  even- 
ing immensely;  they  gave  "La  Boheme,"  and  the 
soprano  role  was  sung  delightfully  by  Signora  Stehle. 
The  name  seems  to  be  German,  but  they  say  she  is 
an  Italian;  anyhow,  she  sang  the  music  very  smoothly 
and  with  much  purer  tone  than  one  usually  hears. 
Signor  Mugnone  led  the  orchestra  magnificently. 
Unlike  many  of  the  modern  conductors,  he  was  most 
considerate  of  the  singers,  and  made  the  orchestra 
keep  down  where  it  belonged,  and  serve  as  a  delight- 
ful accompaniment  to  the  voices,  though  he  in  no 
way  neglected  to  bring  out  the  beauties  of  the  score. 
Puccini's  music  is  so  lovely,  but  I  like  "  La  Boheme  " 
much  better  than  "La  Tosca";  it  has  more  melody 
and  is  less  after  Wagner.  Most  of  the  composers  who 
try  to  write  "after  Wagner"  are  a  long  way  after  him. 

To  a  foreigner's  eye  the  house  to-night  presented 
a  most  unusual  appearance.  The  boxes,  of  course, 
were  filled  with  finely  dressed  people,  though  many  of 
the  women  wore  hats  and  high-necked  gowns.  The 
first  ten  rows  of  the  orchestra  were  filled  with  luxu- 
riously upholstered  armchairs,  and  the  people  who 
had  these  seats  were  more  or  less  elaborately  gowned. 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

But  the  rest  of  the  floor  was  filled  with  benches 
without  backs,  and  crowded  to  the  last  gasping 
limit  with  eager,  tired,  music-loving  Neapolitans. 
Several  women  sitting  just  below  us  had  brought 
their  babies,  and  the  poor  little  things  had  their 
supper  from  their  mothers'  breasts  amid  the  din  of 
the  orchestral  overture.  No  wonder  they  grow  up 
to  be  musicians! 

Once  when  one  of  the  singers  missed  a  line,  I  no- 
ticed one  of  these  women  give  the  words  of  it  to  her 
neighbor  with  a  laugh  at  the  confusion  of  the  artist 
on  the  stage,  as  much  as  to  say,  "I  know  the  words 
and  music  as  well  as  she  does.**  You  see,  the  Italians 
do  not  expect  an  operatic  impresario  to  change  his 
performance  constantly.  In  the  smaller  towns  the 
people  save  up  money  for  a  year,  engage  an  opera 
troupe  to  come,  arrange  to  give  the  same  opera 
every  night  for  a  month,  and  then  every  mother's 
son  of  them  attends  each  performance.  As  you  may 
imagine,  at  the  end  of  the  month  any  one  in  the 
audience  can  act  as  prompter.  In  the  large  places, 
like  Naples,  there  is  more  variety,  but  the  people 
learn  the  music  they  like  very  quickly,  and  it  is  not 
safe  for  an  artist  to  make  any  serious  mistake.  Hisses 
will  shame  him  off  the  stage  if  he  makes  a  bad 
blunder,  and  jeers  follow  if  there  is  a  second  offense. 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

We  have  decided  to  take  a  little  run  over  our 
favorite  stamping-grounds  of  Capri  and  Sorrento, 
coming  back  by  way  of  Amalfi,  Cava  and  Paestum, 
where  I  want  to  see  the  temples  I  have  missed  each 
trip  before. 

We  miss  our  Japanese  friends  this  time  in  Naples. 
We  had  such  a  good  time  with  them  two  years 
ago.  But  I  must  not  write  more  to-night,  it  is  so 
fearfully  late.     Good  night. 


f^SJ 


Ill 

To  T.  C.  B. 

BEAUTIFUL    CAPRI 

Capri,  Italy,  December  28,  1904 

My  dear  Papa: 

HERE  we  are  once  more  in  this  fascinating 
spot,  and  have  just  had  a  merry  greeting 
from  our  friends  the  donkey  girls.  How 
I  wish  I  could  bottle  up  some  of  this  glorious  morn- 
ing air  in  beautiful  Capri,  and  send  it  to  you. 

Most  people  who  come  to  Capri  see  just  enough 
to  know  that  they  ought  to  see  more,  when  they  run 
away  to  catch  the  steamer  for  Sorrento ;  but  I  have 
been  to  Capri  so  many  times  that  the  pretty  girls 
along  its  shores  greet  me  as  an  old  friend,  and  each 
time  I  revisit  the  island,  I  stay  a  little  longer  than  the 
time  before,  so  perhaps  if  I  come  often  enough,  I 
shall  end  by  living  here  altogether. 

This  is  precisely  what  happened  to  the  Emperor 
Tiberius  (A.  D.  27),  who,  after  giving  up  the  reins 
of  government  to  Sejanus,  retired  to  Capri,  where 
he  erected  twelve  villas  in  honor  of  the  twelve  gods. 

[24] 


B> 


1  or.. I 


M 


I 


a. 
< 
U 

o 

o 

H 

ac 

H 
O 

1—4 


or  THE 

OF 
^FORNi! 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

One  of  our  favorite  excursions  when  here,  is  to  the 
largest  of  these,  the  Villa  Jovis,  which  is  still  a  pic- 
turesque ruin  on  the  topmost  point  of  one  part  of 
the  island. 

Tiberius  found  the  climate  so  tranquil  and  beau- 
tiful, and  the  island  so  inaccessible,  that  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  days  and  died  here  A.  D.  37.  The  climate 
is  just  the  same  to-day,  mild,  balmy  and  refreshing. 

In  1803,  you  remember,  during  the  Napoleonic 
wars,  the  island  was  captured  by  the  English  under 
Sir  Sydney  Smith,  and  converted  into  a  miniature 
Gibraltar;  but  to  make  the  exception  prove  the  rule, 
the  French  later  beat  the  English  in  a  naval  battle 
here,  when  Lamarque  recaptured  the  island. 

Capri,  called  in  olden  times  Caprea,  was  first 
known  about  under  Augustus,  who  showed  a  great 
partiality  for  it,  exchanging  the  island  of  Ischia  for 
it  with  the  Republic  of  Naples.  He  established  baths 
and  aqueducts  here,  and  built  fine  palaces,  but  they 
have  been  destroyed  or  fallen  into  decay. 

I  remember,  I  was  told  when  being  rowed  to  the 
Blue  Grotto,  that  the  boat  was  passing  over  the  famous 
baths  built  by  Tiberius  on  the  island  and  swallowed 
up  by  the  sea  many  years  ago.  At  the  same  time 
some  stories  of  the  emperor's  frightful  cruelty  were 
repeated,  but  I  am  sure  you  would  n't  want  to  hear 

[25] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

them.  Fancy  his  hurling  his  slaves  from  the  top- 
most rock  down,  down  into  the  water  below ! 

Naturally,  the  first  visit  to  Capri  makes  the  deepest 
impression  on  the  mind,  for  everything  is  so  novel 
and  so  very  lovely  that  one  feels  as  in  a  fairy  heaven. 
When  I  first  came,  our  little  steamer,  I  remember, 
dropped  anchor  a  short  distance  from  the  island  to 
allow  us  to  see  the  famous  Blue  Grotto.  I  was  much 
excited,  but  not  nearly  as  much  so  as  the  boatmen 
and  boys,  who  pulled  their  boats  to  and  fro  in  a 
most  distracted  fashion  by  the  side  of  the  steamer,  all 
yelling  frantically  to  one  another,  and  no  one  paying 
the  least  attention  to  the  others.  By  some  miracle, 
it  seemed  to  me,  the  officer  of  the  steamer  marshalled 
one  boat  after  another  to  the  ship's  side,  and  I  sud- 
denly found  myself  opposite  a  handsome  old  peasant, 
with  red  cheeks,  white  hair,  and  eyes  and  cap  that 
rivaled  the  blue  of  the  water  over  which  his  boat 
was  jumping. 

Of  a  sudden,  we  were  told  to  lower  our  heads, 
and  then  ordered  to  lie  down  in  the  boat.  This 
was  not  exactly  an  agreeable  process,  but  the  captain 
of  a  ship  is  master  of  his  own  boat  the  world  over, 
and  though  this  was  only  a  rowboat  of  fairly  good 
size,  we  felt  the  authority  of  the  old  man  of  the  blue 
eyes,  and  obeyed.    A  lunge,  a  hard  pull  at  the  oars,  a 

[26] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

fearful  bounce,  and  we  were  told  to  sit  up  and 
look  about  us.  It  was  as  if  some  fairy  had  said, 
"Presto,  change,"  and  we  had  been  translated  to 
another  world. 

Everything  was,  oh!  so  blue,  and — yes — it  was 
silver,  the  walls  of  the  fairy  water-cave  were  appar- 
ently silver-plated,  and  the  water  bluer  than  any  blue 
I  had  ever  dreamed  of,  so  that  when  a  small  boy  came 
suddenly  swimming  up  to  the  side  of  our  boat,  appar- 
ently encased  in  silver,  I  was  quite  convinced  that  I  did 
believe  in  fairies  after  all,  and  that  this  was  really  fairy- 
land. Just  at  this  moment  the  boy  thrust  his  hand  out 
of  the  water  for  a  soldo  ( penny),  and  it  was  just  like 
any  other  boy's  hand — the  charm  was  broken  — 
greed  for  gold  had  spoiled  the  silver  magic.  The  light 
effects  on  the  water  are  so  elusive  at  first,  that  it  is 
a  pity  you  cannot  be  hurried  out  of  the  grotto  as 
quickly  as  you  are  hurried  in,  for  then  you  would 
always  believe  you  had  been  in  an  enchanted  land.  I 
recall  with  less  enthusiasm  that  we  were  rather  wet 
when  we  regained  the  steamer,  but  wiser  and  mer- 
rier, although  somewhat  dirtier  for  the  excursion. 

I  have  usually  landed  at  the  Grande  Marina  (big 
harbor),  but  this  morning  the  sea  was  so  rough  that 
we  were  obliged  to  go  around  the  island  to  the 
Piccola  Marina   (little   harbor).      I  was  delighted, 

[27] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

because  we  were  thus  able  to  get  a  splendid  view  of 
the  famous  cathedral  rocks  that  stand  out  in  such 
bold  relief  from  one  end  of  the  island. 

I  assure  you,  I  've  become  quite  an  adept  at  jump- 
ing in  and  out  of  small  boats  between  waves.  The 
girls  and  boys  had  watched  the  steamer's  course, 
and  rushed  across  the  island  leading  their  patient 
donkeys,  while  the  men  with  the  tiny  horses  and 
carriages  were  equally  expeditious,  so  when  we 
landed  they  were  all  waiting  as  usual,  laughing  and 
talking.  They  rushed  up  to  me  calling,  "  Ben  venutOy 
Signorina  (  welcome  to  Capri ),  prendete  Melba,  gooda 
donky  Signorina y  prendete  Miral  Dewey  gooda  donk.** 
I  explained  to  the  older  girls  that  I  was  married, 
so  now  I  was  a  Signora,  and  pointing  to  F.  B.,  who 
was  hastening  to  secure  his  donkey,  I  said,  "  There 
is  my  husband."  "  Felici  augur i,  Signora  (best  wishes, 
Signora),"  and  the  girls  all  looked  F.  B.  over  very 
sharply  to  see  if  they  approved  of  this  man  I  had 
ventured  to  marry  in  that  far-off  land,  where 
their  fathers  so  often  go  to  get  "bigga  mon."  I 
mounted  one  of  the  gaily  caparisoned  little  don- 
keys,— my  patriotism  leading  me  to  choose  "Admiral 
Dewey," — and  no  sooner  was  I  in  the  saddle  than 
the  owner  began  beating  the  poor  beast  in  a  ruthless 
way,  thinking,  I  suppose,  that  the  Signora  must  go 

[28] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

very  quickly.  I  rebelled,  insisted  that  I  should 
dismount  if  she  did  not  stop,  and  when  the  girl 
found  that  I  was  quite  as  contented  to  go  slowly,  and 
that  she  was  saved  the  trouble  of  yelling  and  beating, 
she  seemed  much  surprised  and  pleased.  In  due  time, 
my  dear  little  "Admiral  Dewey"  brought  me  to 
this  nice  hotel  where  we  have  just  had  luncheon. 
The  host  pressed  his  fine  white  Capri  wine  upon  us, 
for  the  island  abounds  in  vineyards,  and  the  Capri 
wines  are  considered  among  the  best  of  the  white 
wines  of  Italy. 

Do  you  remember,  dear,  the  time  you  and  I  were 
here  and  saw  the  belle  of  Capri,  Bella  Caruli? 
How  she  came  to  our  table,  her  arms  loaded  with 
pretty  corals,  and  we  felt  she  should  have  been  called 
**Corali"?  We  heard  the  song  that  was  written 
about  her  to-day  on  the  boat,  and  it  seemed  so  nice 
to  hear  the  pretty  strains  of  Bella  Caruli  to  the 
accompaniment  of  guitars  and  mandolins  once  more. 
How  surprised  we  were  to  see  the  pretty  girl  her- 
self! I  still  have  the  little  coral  horseshoe  pin  she 
gave  me  as  a  rivederla  (good-bye).  ^^  Buona  for- 
tuna,  Signorina,"  she  said,  as  she  handed  it  out  to 
me,  and  was  gone.  Bella  Caruli,  how  often  I 
have  wondered  what  has  ever  become  of  you!  I* 
asked  to-day,  but  could  not  get  much  definite  infor- 

[29] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

mation.  One  girl  said  she  had  married  and  died, 
and  her  husband  had  gone  to  America.  Who  knows? 
These  peasants  do  not  tell  a  foreign  Signora  all  their 
secrets. 

This  town  of  Capri  has  the  narrowest  streets  I 
have  ever  seen,  the  brightest  sunshine  and  the  oddest 
houses.  It  always  seems  like  a  children's  toy  village, 
put  down  anywhere,  all  "  topsy-turvy." 

There  are  several  good  hotels  here  now,  and 
when  you  consider  that  though  there  are  only  six 
thousand  inhabitants  on  the  island,  thirty  thousand 
foreigners  visit  it  each  year,  it  is  not  surprising. 

The  island  yields  fruit,  oil,  and  plenty  of  red  and 
white  wines,  and  the  innumerable  visitors  each  year 
help  to  make  Capri  a  most  cheerful  and  prosper- 
ous place. 

Our  landlord  tells  me  that  a  great  many  of  the 
men  of  Southern  Italy  emigrate  to  South  America, 
where  some  two  million  Italians  have  settled,  but  the 
men  of  Capri,  who  generally  leave  their  women  at 
home,  almost  invariably  return  to  their  beautiful 
native  land. 

This  afternoon  we  gave  ourselves  the  rare  treat  of 

•a   drive  to  Anacapri,    which  is,   as  you  know,   the 

village  just  above  Capri  on  this  rocky  island.     The 

[30] 


p^    '  ^k' 


-iiA' 


;4A  OT  ]>1H/.J  iViO^ii  QAOJl 


,,^-..v\    -A  -  '.  \  .-fi'-u ji'  t.  wo-^'H. 


ROAD  FROM  CAPRI  TO  ANACAPRI 

From  a  tuatcr-color  by  Bonttti 


COPYRIGHT, 


yPWOSA    BATES    BATCHELLtn 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

drive  is  one  of  the  grandest  you  can  imagine.  I  am 
always  grateful  for  the  excellent  road  which  is  of 
recent  construction,  for  formerly  the  traveler  was 
asked  to  mount  seven  hundred  steps,  which  used  to 
form  the  chief  approach  to  the  higher  parts  of  the 
island.  My  poor  pen  is  useless  when  it  tries  to  de- 
scribe the  beauty  of  the  views  which  fairly  enchanted 
us  this  afternoon.  The  road,  broad,  finely  built, 
with  ample  walls  at  the  side  near  the  sea,  winds 
back  and  forth,  steadily  mounting  upwards  for  sev- 
eral miles;  as  one  looks  ahead,  it  seems  now  and 
then  to  disappear  round  a  sharp  curve.  Apparently 
the  carriage  and  its  occupants  must  soon  come  to  a 
stand-still  or  be  hurled  into  the  sea,  but  at  each  of 
these  abrupt  turns  we  had  most  lovely  views  of 
Nisida,  the  wonderful  bay  of  Naples,  Ischia  and  the 
other  islands,  and  Vesuvius  always  smoking  in  the 
distance.  Oh!  It  is  glorious  and  no  mistake!  We 
went  on,  up  and  up,  higher  and  higher,  till  we 
reached  the  little  town  of  Anacapri. 

The  sky  was  so  blue  that  I  should  need  to  coin  a 
new  word  to  express  the  color,  the  water  eight 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  below  us  mirrors  the  sky  to 
perfection,  while  the  bright  scarlet  of  the  peasants' 
scarfs  contrasts  charmingly  with  Nature's  coloring. 

On  the  way  up  the  steep  climb,  I  discovered  a 

[31] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

large  grotto  in  the  towering  rocks  above  us,  in  the 
centre  of  which  a  large  figure  of  the  Virgin  was 
securely  placed,  and  seemed  to  look  down  at  us  from 
her  strange  altar  of  Nature.  Some  devoted  one  had 
hung  a  beautiful  rosary  on  her  arm,  and  I  felt  as  I 
looked  at  the  calm,  sweet  face  that  the  action  of 
crossing  one's  self,  after  the  manner  of  the  Romanists, 
is,  after  all,  a  very  natural  and  appropriate  thing  to  do. 

But  the  mild  Madonna  was  soon  left  behind,  and 
we  had  gone  but  a  little  distance  down  the  village 
street,  when  a  pretty  peasant  girl  entreated  us  to 
come  into  her  garden,  and  try  her  Anacapri  wine. 
Her  beauty  and  the  prospect  of  a  lovely  view,  in- 
duced us  to  leave  the  carriage. 

This  evening  the  landlord,  who  prepared  an  ex- 
cellent dinner  for  us,  took  us  to  see  the  Christmas 
tree  he  had  arranged  for  his  American  guests.  It 
looked  so  homelike  in  this  foreign  land,  and  quite  de- 
lighted us,  for  we  had  been  at  sea  on  Christmas  day, 
and  only  had,  for  Santa  Claus,  the  good  luck  to  find 
our  trunks  amid  the  chaos  and  confusion  of  the  Naples 
custom-house,  as  I  wrote  you  some  days  ago. 

If  any  one  is  tired,  ill  or  depressed,  they  should  pack 
their  trunks  at  once  and  come  to  Capri  for  a  month. 
Here  sunshine,  warmth,  merriment  and  health  await 
them,  and  they  will  breathe  in  new  life  and  happiness 

[32] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

with  every  breath.  The  walks  and  drives  in  and 
about  here  and  Anacapri  are  most  attractive.  We 
plan  and  imagine  all  the  wonderful  apartments  of  the 
great  Emperor  Tiberius  from  the  scattered  ruins,  and 
we  feast  our  eyes  constantly  on  one  beautiful  view 
after  another.  Now  we  see  the  great  bay  of  Naples, 
now  the  blue  gulf  of  Salerno,  and  from  certain  points 
on  the  island  we  have  the  two  rare  visions  at  the 
same  time.  At  sunset,  the  whole  island  becomes 
embraced  in  soft  pink  clouds;  Naples  and  Sorrento 
seem  to  become  the  cities  of  another  world,  whose 
lights  twinkle  to  us  as  the  stars  from  heaven. 

Sunset  at  beautiful  Capri !  I  shall  always  have  this 
dear  memory  in  my  mind  to  recall  on  a  very  rainy 
day. 


133] 


IV 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

AMALFI 

December  30,  1904 

My  dear  Mother: 

WE  took  a  little  steamer  from  Capri  yester- 
day morning  to  come  over  to  Sorrento. 
The  sea  was  running  high,  and  the  captain 
did  not  dare  to  put  us  off  in  the  small  boats  that 
come  out  froiji  the  shore  of  the  town  to  take  the  pas- 
sengers, so  our  steamer  had  to  go  on  to  Meta,  where 
there  is  a  much  better  and  safer  harbor.  Here  we 
could  safely  get  into  the  little  boats,  and  were  quickly 
rowed  ashore.  We  easily  got  carriages  and  drove 
rapidly  along  the  road,  mostly  shut  in  with  high 
walls,  of  which  F.  B.  does  not  at  all  approve,  and 
soon  arrived  at  Sorrento. 

We  found  that  the  Victoria  Hotel  was  equipped 
with  steam  heating,  and  in  a  very  short  time  we  were 
pleasantly  settled  in  comfortable  rooms.  The  radia- 
tors were  very  small  and  the  rooms  very  large,  so  we 
had  to  add  an  open  fire  to  the  much  talked  of  heating 

[34] 


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GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

apparatus,  and  then  we  were  quite  satisfied.  Is  there 
anything  more  beautiful  than  the  view  we  had  early 
yesterday  morning  from  the  broad  balcony  on  which 
our  rooms  open  at  Sorrento  ?  The  air  was  clear  and 
cold,  and  the  beautiful  bay  mirrored  this  wonderful 
Italian  blue  sky  that  I  never  cease  to  enjoy  and  admire. 
There  is  not  very  much  of  interest  in  the  town  of 
Sorrento  itself,  but  it  is  picturesque,  built  as  it  is  on 
rocks,  rising  precipitously  from  the  sea,  surrounded  by 
luxurious  orange  and  lemon  groves,  and  enclosed  on 
two  sides  by  deep  ravines,  which  the  peasants  about 
here  believe  to  be  peopled  with  tiny  fairies.  Nothing 
now  remains  of  the  old  Roman  Sorrentum,  though  the 
peasants  still  call  the  place  Surient ;  but  there  are 
some  subterranean  cisterns  that  have  defied  the  passing 
ages,  and  a  few  fragments  of  stone  work  that  have 
been  given  high  sounding  names. 

Torquato  Tasso,  you  remember,  was  a  native  of 
this  place,  and  a  marble  statue  erected  to  his  memory 
is  in  the  piazza  that  bears  his  name.  The  house 
where  he  was  born,  with  the  rock  on  which  it  stood, 
has  been  washed  away  by  the  sea,  though  the  house 
of  his  sister,  to  whom  he  came  in  disguise  in  1592, 
was  pointed  out  to  us. 

The  last  time  we  came  here  we  stopped  at  the 
Hotel  Tramontana,  and  the  ever  thoughtful  landlord 

[35] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

had  no  intention  of  our  leaving  without  seeing  the 
peasants  dance  the  Tarantella.  This  time  it  was  the 
lovely  month  of  June,  the  time  of  all  others  to  be  in 
the  southern  part  of  Italy,  I  think.  The  evening 
was  clear  and  cool  I  remember,  and  I  was  much  an- 
noyed at  being  called  from  my  terrace,  where  I  was 
watching  the  flames  of  Vesuvius  streak  up  into  the 
sky,  and  living  over  in  my  mind  Glaucus*  and  I  one's 
flight  from  Pompeii,  when  I  was  told  I  must  come 
and  see  the  Tarantella.  I  recall  that  I  was  not  at  all 
enthusiastic,  for  I  did  not  know  anything  about  it, 
and,  as  is  generally  the  way  when  we  are  supremely 
ignorant  of  a  thing,  we  are  unreasonably  indifferent 
to  it;  but  nothing  could  be  prettier,  brighter  or  more 
jolly  than  the  gay  dance  of  the  Sorrento  peasants,  as 
they  merrily  played  their  castanets,  dancing  through 
one  figure  after  another,  making  the  most  picturesque 
scene  in  their  bright  colored  costumes. 

But  this  time  we  did  not  stay  long  in  Sorrento,  as 
we  were  anxious  to  get  on  here.  We  spent  the 
afternoon  wandering  about  the  town,  and  in  the 
evening  played  bridge  with  the  Henrys,  who  are  with 
us  on  this  little  trip.  Mr.  Henry  is  a  delightful  man 
and  an  excellent  bridge  player.  He  came  over  in 
the  steamer  with  us,  and  is  going  on  to  India  with 
his  son,  whom   he  met  in  Naples,  when   this  little 

[36] 


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H 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

jaunt  is  over.  Once  in  Italy  he  could  not  make  up 
his  mind  to  go  directly  away,  and  so  proposed  that 
we  four  make  a  few  days'  excursion  together  over 
ground  we  all  enjoy  so  much. 

This  morning  we  made  an  early  start  from  the 
hotel  in  order  that  we  might  get  the  full  benefit  of 
the  beautiful  early  morning  light  effects.  As  we 
drove  out  of  Sorrento,  we  passed  the  Villa  of  Mrs. 
Howe's  nephew,  Marion  Crawford,  who  spends  most 
of  his  time  here  now.  I  always  like  to  read  his 
books  when  I  am  in  Italy,  they  have  so  much  local 
color.  How  can  I  tell  you  of  our  drive  of  this 
morning  or  describe  to  you  this  beautiful  place  where 
I  am  writing !  The  poets  have  sung  its  praises  in  all 
the  languages,  and  yet  no  pen  has  ever  quite  done 
justice  to  the  reality.  You  remember,  we  thought 
the  drive  from  Sorrento  to  Castellammare  very 
beautiful,  but  it  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the 
one  we  have  taken  this  morning.  The  road  follows 
along  the  coast  all  the  way,  and  we  had  constantly 
changing  views  of  the  lovely  gulf  of  Salerno.  We 
passed  through  numerous  little  towns  built  high  up 
on  the  side  of  the  cliffs,  and  were  particularly  en- 
chanted with  the  view  of  Positano,  as  the  carriage 
wound  around  curve  after  curve,  giving  us  varied 
glimpses  of  this  strange  little  town.     We  kept  saying 

[37] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

to  each  other,  "  When  shall  we  see  beautiful  Positano 
again/*  Out  in  the  gulf  we  saw  the  Isles  of  the 
Sirens,  often  called  /  Gallij  which  are  very  pic- 
turesque, and  on  many  of  the  rocky  promontories 
that  jut  out  into  the  water  are  interesting  ruins  of 
the  watchtowers  that  belonged  to  the  early  cen- 
turies. The  road  skirts  the  highest  houses  of  the 
town  of  Positano  and  winds  in  and  around  the  rocky 
cliffs,  until  at  last  we  reached  this  pretty  and  historic 
town  of  Amalfi. 

After  passing  through  the  town  of  Vettica  Minore, 
high  above  which  is  a  nunnery,  we  found  ourselves 
just  below  this  old  Capuchin  monastery.  We  left 
our  carriage,  and  men  took  us  in  chairs  up  a  long 
flight  of  steps  leading  from  the  street  to  the  terrace 
of  the  monastery,  which  stands  in  the  hollow  of  a 
rock  that  rises  straight  out  of  the  sea  at  a  height  of 
two  hundred  feet.  It  was  founded  in  1 2 1 2  by  Cardi- 
nal Pietro  Capuano  for  the  Cistercians,  but  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  Capuchins  later  on  in  1 500,  and 
is  now  fitted  up  as  a  most  excellent  hotel.  Nothing 
could  be  more  magnificent  than  the  views  we  have 
from  the  terrace  where  I  am  writing  out  of  doors, 
yes,  in  December  ;  I  know  it  does  seem  inconsistent, 
but  I  have  just  picked  roses  from  the  vines  growing 
at  my  side,  am  writing  on  a  garden  table,  and  yet  I 

[38] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

am  quite  comfortable  in  a  fur-lined  coat.  It  is  all 
very  inconsistent  apparently,  but,  in  any  case,  most 
delightful.  After  an  excellent  lunch  here,  which 
we  had  in  the  old  refectory  formerly  used  by  the 
monks,  we  made  a  tour  of  the  really  fine  cloisters  of 
the  monastery,  and  saw  where,  only  two  years  ago, 
a  little  chapel,  with  the  rock  into  which  it  was 
built,  broke  off  and  slid  down  into  the  blue  waters 
below.  Every  now  and  then  a  great  piece  of  this 
cliff  goes  crashing  down  to  the  sea,  taking  with  it 
everything  in  its  path,  but  now  they  have  arranged 
special  protection  for  the  rest  of  the  cloisters,  and 
I  surely  hope  that  they  may  be  spared,  for  they  are 
very  lovely,  and  from  them  one  has  such  splendid 
views. 

I  am  sorry  that  we  did  not  arrange  to  stay  here 
longer,  for  there  are  several  excursions  from  here  that 
I  should  like  very  much  to  make,  but  as  our  plans 
are  now,  we  shall  go  on  this  afternoon  as  far  as  Cava 
dei  Tirreni,  where  we  are  planning  to  pass  the  night. 
Next  time  I  come,  I  hope  you  may  be  with  me,  and 
we  will  surely  plan  to  stay  in  this  enchanted  spot 
three  or  four  days  at  the  very  least.  In  a  little  book 
that  I  picked  up  just  now  in  the  reading  room,  I 
came  across  Longfellow's  poem  on  Amalfi,  and  these 
lines  seem  to  me  especially  appropriate  : 

[39] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

"  This  is  an  enchanted  land  ! 
Round  the  headlands  far  away 
Sweeps  the  blue  Salernian  bay 
With  its  sickle  of  white  sand : 
Further  still  and  furthermost 
On  the  dim  discovered  coast 
Paestum  with  its  ruins  lies. 
And  its  roses  all  in  bloom 
Seem  to  tinge  the  fatal  skies 
Of  that  lovely  land  of  doom." 

This  little  lively  town  that  has  now  but  seven 
thousand  inhabitants  was  formerly  a  very  prosperous 
seaport ;  indeed,  it  defied  the  Norman  sovereigns 
of  Naples,  carried  on  war  with  Pisa,  and  at  last  be- 
came subjected  to  the  kings  of  the  House  of  Anjou 
and  Arragon.  Somewhere  about  1 340  a  terrible  in- 
undation destroyed  more  than  half  of  the  city  which 
lies  buried  in  the  sea. 

"  Swallowed  by  the  engulfing  waves ; 
Silent  streets  and  vacant  halls, 
Ruined  roofs  and  towers  and  walls : 
Hidden  from  all  mortal  eyes. 
Deep  the  sunken  city  lies  : 
Even  cities  have  their  graves  !  " 

But  this  small  town  is  still  very  energetic,  and  there 
are  manufactures  here,  we  are  told,  of  paper,  silk  and 
macaroni;  and  the  various  little  villages  that  belong 
to  it  are  very  prosperous  with  their  vineyards,  and 

[40] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

send  off  quantities  of  wine,  oil  and  fruit  each  year 
over  the  seas. 

I  had  forgotten  that  the  compass  was  invented  here 
by  Flavio  Gioia,  but  Mr.  Henry  reminded  us  that 
the  tavole  Amalfitane  were  for  centuries  the  accepted 
maritime  law  of  the  Mediterranean. 


[41] 


V 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

CAVA 

December   30,   1904 

My  dear  M,: 

WE  reached  here  safely  this  evening,  after 
a  drive  that  vied    in  beauty  and   gran- 
deur of  scenery  with  the   one  we  took 
this  morning. 

On  the  road  we  were  so  enchanted  with  the 
views  that,  to  make  them  last  a  little  longer,  we 
left  the  carriage  and  walked.  Our  carriage  was  a 
sort  of  open  landau,  drawn  by  three  ponies,  two 
harnessed  in  the  regular  way,  and  another  hitched 
on  queerly  at  one  side.  As  we  walked  along,  we 
came  up  with  a  man  dressed  in  a  very  good 
black  suit.  He  looked  the  Italian  peasant  in  every 
way  but  his  clothes.  He  bowed,  and  Mr.  H.  asked 
me  to  speak  to  him.  So  I  asked  him  if  he  had 
been  in  America.  He  was  very  ready  to  respond, 
and  told  us  he  had  a  son  in  Nuova  Jersa  (New 
Jersey),  that  he  had  been  in  Australia,  New  Zealand, 

[42] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

South  America  and  several  times  to  New  York. 
He  said  his  farm  was  near  Amalfi  and  that  he 
often  came  back  to  it.  He  had  been  very  prosper- 
ous in  his  journeys,  but  thought  the  "bigga  mon** 
was  in  America,  where  he  had  bought  a  fine  gold 
watch  and  chain  that  he  showed  us  with  evident 
pride. 

The  people  of  these  southern  shores  of  Italy 
are  and  have  been  of  many  races,  Greeks,  Corin- 
thians, even  Arabians  and  Persians  have  left  their 
traces  on  these  southern  coasts,  and  the  inhabitants 
to-day  show  many  characteristics  that  differ  from 
all  other  Italians.  Most  of  the  Italians  who  go  over 
to  us  in  America  are  from  the  southern  part  of 
Italy,  Naples  and  its  vicinity. 

As  we  talked,  a  pretty  little  bare-footed  girl 
carrying  a  bundle  of  grass  on  her  head,  and  an  empty 
fish  basket  in  her  hands,  joined  us.  "  Giovannina,'*  she 
replied  when  I  asked  her  name.  She  had  been  to 
sell  her  fish,  and  had  gathered  grass  for  her  goat 
as  she  returned.  She  was  rather  shy,  but  when  she 
left  the  road  to  climb  up  to  her  little  home,  high 
up  on  the  hill-side,  she  found  her  voice,  and  called 
loudly  to  her  little  dog,  '' Pasqualino**  (such  a  pretty 
name),  to  follow. 

This  is  an  odd  little  town,  tucked  away  in  the 

[43] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

mountains,  and  high  up  on  one  of  the  neighboring 
rocky  summits  is  situated  a  monastery.  The  town 
consists  only  of  a  long  street  of  arcades,  and  it  looks 
like  a  miniature  city.  Of  course  there  is  a  main  piazza 
(square)  to  give  proper  dignity  to  the  church  of  the 
town. 

The  former  landlord  of  this  hotel  recently  died. 
Mr.  H.  remembers  him  quite  well  and  says  he 
was  quite  a  personage.  In  the  little  parlor  this 
evening,  while  we  were  waiting  for  our  rooms, 
I  noticed  numbers  of  letters  from  distinguished 
people,  framed,  and  on  inquiring  I  found  they  were 
addressed  to  the  landlord,  who  has  made  this  hotel 
quite  famous,  and  has  known  and  received  many  of 
the  nobility  of  Europe.  Mr.  H.  says  that  he  formerly 
kept  the  hotel  of  the  Capuchins  also,  and  after  dinner 
we  were  shown  his  portrait,  painted  by  some  very 
well  known  artist,  but  I  cannot  recall  the  name  at 
this  moment. 

To-morrow  morning  we  start  at  a  very  early  hour 
for  Paestum.  I  do  not  know  quite  how  it  happens 
that  I  have  never  been  there  before,  but  I  am  looking 
forward  with  great  interest  to  seeing  the  famous 
temples.  We  feel  more  as  if  we  were  in  a  palace  than 
a  hotel,  and  I  think  we  must  have  the  bridal  suite  of 
the  house.  The  walls  and  furniture  are  upholstered  in 

[441 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

yellow  satin,  and  the  beds  are  most  elaborately  carved 
and  gilded,  while  all  about  our  parlor  are  numerous 
pieces  of  really  beautiful  bric-a-brac. 

It  is  too  cold  and  dark  to  go  out  about  the  town 
so  we  are  going  to  play  bridge  this  evening. 


[45] 


VI 

To  T.  C.  B. 

Naples,  Italy,  December  31,  1904 

My  dear  P.: 

WE  are  rather  tired  this  evening,  for  al- 
though we  have  had  a  very  pleasant  day, 
we  had  quite  an  exciting  time  in  getting 
home,  and  came  very  near  not  getting  here  at  all  to- 
night. We  left  Cava  early  this  morning  by  train 
for  Paestum,  the  thoughtful  landlord  having  pre- 
pared a  nice  lunch  for  us  to  take  with  us.  We  were 
very  grateful  to  him,  for  at  Paestum  there  were  no 
satisfactory  accommodations.  It  was  not  long  before 
we  reached  the  station,  called  by  the  Italians,  Pesto. 
On  our  right  we  had  already  caught  glimpses  of  the 
beautiful  temples  bathed  in  the  bright  noonday  sun, 
and  having  as  a  background  the  clear,  deep  blue  of 
the  gulf  of  Salerno,  while,  on  our  left,  we  beheld 
the  peaks  of  the  Calabrian  mountains  rising  proudly 
into  the  Italian  sky,  their  snow-capped  brows  re- 
minding us  that  while  we  could  gather  roses  and 
oranges  in  the  plains  below,  we  must  cling  closely  to 

[46] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

our  furs  to  ward  off  the  cold  Tramontana  winds, 
which  brought  cold  messages  from  their  high  sum- 
mits, telling  us  that  it  was  indeed  winter. 

We  had  hardly  alighted  from  the  train  before  we 
were  literally  surrounded  by  small  boys  and  girls 
tugging  at  our  bundles,  and  seeing  that  there  were 
no  rGgM\2.r  facchini  (porters)  about,  we  realized  that 
we  were  really  off  the  beaten  path  of  travel.  We 
carried  our  lunch  with  us  to  the  temples,  which  are 
situated  within  easy  walking  distance  of  the  station ; 
along  the  road  we  stopped  at  a  gateway  to  see  all 
that  remains  of  an  old  forum.  A  fountain,  sur- 
mounted by  a  broken  statuette,  had  been  converted 
into  a  washing  tub  for  a  family,  whose  back  door 
looked  out  upon  these  ancient  relics.  Women  were 
washing  their  linens,  quite  unmindful  that  here  was 
the  site  of  one  of  the  most  famous  Greek  cities  of 
southern  Italy — or  Magna  Graecia,  as  it  was  then 
called. 

The  town  was  founded  by  the  Greeks  from 
Sybaris  in  the  year  B.  C.  600,  and  called  Posei- 
donia  (City  of  Neptune).  After  the  defeat  of 
Pyrrhus,  Poseidonia  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Romans,  who  founded  the  colony  of  Paestum,  but  it 
gradually  declined,  and  from  the  time  of  Augustus 
has  been  known  for  its  malarious  air.    Robert  Guis- 

[47] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

card  robbed  the  deserted  town  of  its  monuments  and 
sculptures,  and  dear  Poseidonia  remained  in  its  deso- 
late condition  for  many  centuries,  until,  in  modern 
times,  the  great  beauty  and  perfection  of  the  temples 
still  remaining,  attracted  many  students  of  art  to  the 
place. 

We  walked  through  the  streets  of  the  present 
little  town  of  Pesto,  which  comprises  only  a  few 
huts,  for  very  few  people  can  live  here — the  place 
is  so  infected  with  malaria — and  passing  under  the 
old  Roman  gate,  a  relic  of  the  Roman  rule,  we  soon 
came  in  sight  of  the  great  majestic  temple  of  Nep- 
tune. That  the  temple  has  been  claimed  by  its  tute- 
lary god  there  can  be  little  doubt,  for  there  are  many 
evidences  that  it  has  been  subjected  to  the  action  of 
the  water.  Who  knows  ?  Perhaps  it  was  engulfed 
at  the  time  of  the  great  inundations  which  occurred 
in  this  region  about  1343,  when  many  of  the  cities 
of  the  gulf  of  Salerno  were  washed  into  a  watery 
grave.  But  standing  in  this  deserted  valley,  sur- 
rounded by  ruined  bits  of  marble,  despoiled  of  all 
that  made  it  really  a  place  of  worship,  its  altar  and 
the  great  statue  of  its  god,  it  seemed  like  the  ghost 
of  ancient  Greece  standing  and  almost  speaking  to 
us.  I  assure  you,  it  was  with  a  certain  reverence 
that  I  mounted  the  great  blocks  of  stone  at  one  side 

[48] 


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GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

of  the  front  of  the  temple,  and  entered  what  was 
once  the  "  Holy  of  Holies."  The  temple  is  most  im- 
pressive in  its  simple  grandeur,  and  extremely  pic- 
turesque with  its  many  massive  columns  of  yellow 
travertine,  that,  though  worn  and  injured,  are  still 
gigantic  in  their  strength. 

This  is,  as  you  know,  the  most  perfect  model  of 
the  Greek  temple  extant,  and  as  we  walked  among 
the  rows  of  the  great  columns,  we  discovered  that  in 
the  water-worn  stone  innumerable  tiny  snails  had 
made  their  home.  I  am  afraid  I  was  cruel  enough 
to  take  out  one  or  two  to  convince  the  incredulous 
of  our  party.  It  seemed  to  me  such  a  pity  that  all 
the  beautiful  metopes,  the  statues  of  the  impedi- 
menta, paintings,  etc.,  found  here,  have  been  taken 
either  to  the  museum  at  Palermo  or  Naples.  I  sup- 
pose that  was  the  only  way  to  preserve  them,  though 
they  will  never  seem  as  real  in  a  museum. 

We  decided  to  have  our  lunch  in  the  less  perfect 
and  probably  older  temple  near  by,  that  has  been 
erroneously  called  a  basilica,  and  young  Mr.  Henry, 
who  has  been  making  a  study  of  Greek  architecture, 
pointed  out  to  me  the  row  of  columns  in  the  centre 
of  the  temple,  explaining  that  it  was  probably  dedi- 
cated to  two  gods.  We  spread  our  lunch  on  one  of 
the  altar  stones  that  has  doubtless  received  many  of- 

[49] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

ferings  to  appease  or  implore  favors  from  some 
ancient  Greek  god  or  goddess.  I  suppose  we  ought 
to  have  been  properly  impressed,  but  we  were  all 
having  such  a  merry  time,  that  I  fear  our  spirits  got 
the  better  of  our  sentiment.  The  children  of  the 
government  keeper  of  the  temples  gathered  about  us, 
and  begged  for  bits  of  our  lunch.  I  wish  you 
could  have  seen  the  way  those  little  urchins  grabbed 
at  the  meat  which  we  gave  them ;  they  were  actually 
like  little  wild  beasts,  and  I  dare  say,  they  had  never 
tasted  meat  before ;  when  we  told  them  they  might 
have  the  empty  apollinaris  bottle,  their  joy  knew  no 
bounds. 

After  lunch  we  walked  over  to  the  temple  of  Ceres, 
which  has  the  same  purity  of  design  as  the  other  two 
temples,  but  is  much  smaller,  and  has  of  necessity 
been  somewhat  restored.  All  three  temples  are  built 
exactly  in  a  straight  line,  but  some  little  distance  from 
one  another.  Before  we  knew  it,  it  was  time  for  us 
to  go.  We  took  a  last  look  at  these  really  wonderful 
ruins  and  hurried  to  the  little  station,  but  my  dear, 
one  should  never  hurry  in  Italy — no  one  ever  does 
but  the  foreigners.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  long  we 
waited  before  the  little  train  came  slowly  puffing  into 
view.  When  it  did  stop,  all  the  seats  seemed  to  be 
full,  and  we  made  frantic  efforts  to  find  an  unoccu- 

[so] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

pied  compartment — in  vain.  Things  began  to  get 
desperate ;  it  was  the  only  train  for  many  hours,  and 
we  now  vividly  recalled  all  the  stories  of  the  Paestum 
malaria.  The  capo  stazione  (station-master)  seemed 
to  regard  our  distress  in  the  light  of  a  good  joke,  but 
at  last,  in  despair,  I  rushed  to  the  baggage  car ;  "  ^ 
vietato  I' Ingres  so  (No  admittance),"  shrieked  the 
conductor,  as  he  called,  "  Pronti  (ready) !  "  and  made 
a  motion  as  if  to  give  the  signal  to  start. 
Not  getting  that  train  meant  not  getting  to 
Naples  until  midnight  or  perhaps  not  at  all  until 
to-morrow.  It  was  awful  !  I  begged  F.  B.  and  the 
Henrys  to  go  with  me  to  the  baggage  car  once 
more.  "  You  must  let  us  in,  oh  good  Mr.  Con- 
ductor!" I  called;  " pagheremo  benissimo  (we  will 
pay  you  well)."  The  magic  word  was  spoken. 
With  a  pretence  of  reluctance,  the  conductor  allowed 
us  to  bundle  hastily  one  after  another  into  the  bag- 
gage car,  and  with  a  loud  "  Partenza[PA\  aboard) !" 
we  rolled  away  from  Paestum.  Bundles  and  baskets 
served  as  seats  (we  prayed  they  were  not  filled  with 
eggs),  and  we  rode  thus  most  uncomfortably,  though 
gratefully,  for  some  time.  At  last,  the  conduc- 
tor condescended  to  tell  us  that  our  train  would 
probably  connect  at  the  next  station  with  the  one  for 
Naples.      He  was  right ;  by  the  narrow  margin  of 

[SI] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

two  minutes  we  caught  the  Naples  train,  jumped 
into  the  only  first-class  compartment,  and  reached 
here  only  an  hour  later  than  scheduled  time,  thank- 
ing our  lucky  stars  that  we  had  not  been  obliged  to 
spend  the  night  amid  the  ghosts  and  malaria  of  Paes- 
tum.  All  is  well  that  ends  well,  and  I  would  not 
have  missed  seeing  the  temples  for  a  great  deal. 


[52] 


VII 
To  C.  R. 

A  BIT  OF  JAPAN 

Naples,  January  3,  1905 
My  dear  Caira  : 

TWO  years  ago,  when  we  were  here,  we 
had  the  rarest  sort  of  good  luck  in  meet- 
ing a  number  of  Japanese  Naval  officers. 
They  had  been  sent  by  the  Emperor  of  Japan  to 
England  for  the  Coronation  Ceremonies  of  His 
Majesty,  King  Edward  VII.  It  came  about  in  this 
way:  One  evening  our  Italian  maid  told  us  about 
the  arrival  of  the  Japanese  Ambassador  in  the  ho- 
tel. The  next  morning  we  looked  out  of  our  win- 
dows to  see  the  two  "crack  "  ships  of  the  Japanese 
Navy  lying  at  anchor  in  the  harbor — the  Asama 
and  the  Takasago.  F.  B.  was  perfectly  wild  to  go 
over  them,  for  as  you  know,  he  is  tremendously  in- 
terested in  all  matters  pertaining  to  naval  armament. 
We  asked  the  Japanese  Ambassador  if  he  would 
give  us  a  note  to  the  Admiral,  as  we  were  most  anx- 
ious to  go   over  the    ships.    With    the    usual   Jap- 

[53] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

anese  courtesy  and  politeness,  an  invitation  was  at 
once  sent  to  us  to  come  on  board  the  Asama. 
We  lost  no  time  in  accepting,  and  two  charming 
officers  met  us  at  the  ship's  ladder,  and  showed  us 
all  about.  I  assure  you,  you  could  have  trailed  your 
best  ball-gown  over  every  part  of  that  ship,  it 
was  so  spotlessly  clean. 

F.  B.  says  they  are  Armstrong-built  ships  and 
have  all  the  latest  improvements.  The  Asama  is 
an  armored  cruiser  of  9800  tons  displacement,  and 
is  about  the  same  as  our  Brooklyn,  while  the  Taka- 
sago  is  of  4200  tons  displacement,  an  unarmored 
or  protected  cruiser.  I  did  not  realize  before  that 
every  officer  in  the  Japanese  Navy  is  obliged  to 
speak  English,  and  they  do  speak  it  very  well  in- 
deed. Naturally,  we  found  we  must  speak  slowly, 
and  speak  plain  English,  minus  all  slang.  We  nearly 
disgraced  ourselves  once,  by  laughing  right  out 
at  a  remark  that  one  of  the  young  officers  made. 
F.  B.  was  much  interested  in  one  of  the  quick-firing 
guns,  and  said  to  the  officer,  "Won't  you  please  have 
that  gun  opened  once  more,  I  am  not  very  much 
up  on  that  gun?"  Quite  seriously,  the  officer  replied, 
"But,  sir,  you  do  not  stand  upon  the  gun."  After 
that   we   tried    to   leave   out  all   idioms  and   slang, 

[54] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

and   by  speaking    slowly  and    distinctly  got    along 
splendidly. 

The  Admiral's  apartments  were  perfectly  stunning. 
The  Emperor's  and  the  Empress's  portraits  hung 
on  the  wall,  framed  in  the  most  exquisite  Japanese 
lacquer;  beautiful  Japanese  vases  were  all  about,  filled 
with  imitation  Japanese  cherry  blossoms;  they 
looked  so  real  that  I  smelled  of  one,  and  when 
I  laughed  at  my  own  mistake,  the  officer  said, 
"Many  other  people  have  done  the  same  thing; 
but,"  he  explained,  "  the  cherry  blossom  is  the  em- 
blem of  the  Japanese  Navy,  and,  as  you  see,  we  all 
have  cherry  blossoms  embroidered  on  our  caps. 
Here,"  he  said,  pointing  to  some  of  the  decoration 
on  the  walls,  "  is  the  chrysanthemum,  the  flower 
of  our  Empress."  We  went  into  the  wireless  tel- 
egraphy room,  and  then  out  through  the  main  part 
of  the  ship,  where  the  sailors  were  being  drawn 
up  in  line,  and  given  doses  of  quinine  before  they 
were  allowed  to  go  on  shore.  It  was  too  funny  to 
see  each  one  taking  his  dose  as  the  doctor  passed 
along.  They  all  looked  so  strong,  so  well  and  so 
clean,  and  even  the  sailors  seemed  to  have  most 
dexterous  fingers,  for  I  saw  two  of  them  copy- 
ing    music    manuscript    for     the    band    to    play, 

[55] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

in  a  way  that  would  have  made  a   French  copyist 
envious. 

When  we  apparently  had  seen  everything  there 
was  to  see,  the  officers  invited  us  down  to  the  mess 
room  to  have  tea,  made  in  the  Japanese  fashion. 
The  tables  were  just  like  those  on  our  men-of-war, 
and  the  officers  told  us  that  lunch  and  dinner  were 
served  in  the  "European  way,**  as  he  put  it,  and 
breakfast  in  the  Japanese  fashion,  on  the  floor.  The 
tea  was  served  in  very  small  bowls,  and  looked  a 
bright  sage  green,  while  bits  of  pink  and  white 
Japanese  sweets  were  served  with  it,  to  replace  su- 
gar, I  suppose.  It  looked  and  tasted  exactly  like 
the  tea  that  I  had  at  the  Chicago  Exposition,  that 
was  called  "Japanese  Ceremony  Tea.'*  It  was  pretty 
bitter,  but  I  think  I  could  get  used  to  the  taste 
and  like  it.  When  we  were  ready  to  go,  the  officers 
brought  me  some  lovely  Japanese  silks,  and  some 
pretty  fans,  upon  which  I  asked  them  to  write  their 
autographs  in  Japanese.  "Failing  in  nothing,"  they 
presented  F.  B.  with  some  lovely  lacquer  boxes ; 
and  just  as  we  were  leaving,  asked  us  to  go  with 
them  the  next  day  to  Pompeii.  They  have  some 
special  privilege  from  the  government,  which  they 
said  they  could  give  us  as  well. 

We  did  go  to  Pompeii,  the   next  day,  and  had  a 

[56] 


O 

h 
< 


1: 

> 

h 
O 

CO 
D 

O 

ac 


Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


OF 


^IFOWt*!^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

most  delightful  time  with  our  new  Japanese  acquain- 
tances.  Of  course,  the  Italian  officials  had  been  duly 
notified  of  the  intended  visit  of  the  Japanese  officers, 
so  that  the  best  of  the  government  guides  were  waiting 
to  receive  us  when  we  arrived. 

The  train  passed  through  the  little  towns  of 
Torre  del  Greco  and  Torre  Annunziata,  where  the 
coral  is  worked  almost  exclusively.  The  excavations 
in  Herculaneum,  we  were  told,  have  to  be  made  in 
tunnels  under  these  towns;  that  is  one  reason  why 
they  are  so  very  expensive. 

We  had  luncheon  at  once  at  the  little  hotel  near 
the  station,  and  directly  after,  started  out  to  see  the 
wonders  of  the  "city  of  the  dead  **  We  have  been 
there  several  times  before,  and  you  have  been  there 
too,  so  I  shall  write  you  only  about  the  new  discoveries. 

The  house  of  the  Vettii,  which  then  was  opened 
to  no  one  without  special  government  permission, 
was  especially  interesting,  and  thanks  to  our  Japanese 
friends,  it  was  shown  to  us  in  the  most  careful  and 
delightful  way.  The  beautiful  paintings  on  the  walls, 
the  marble  decorations  of  the  peristyle — in  fact,  every 
thing  found  here  has  been  left  in  situ.  It  is  by 
far  the  best  preserved  and  most  beautiful  house  in 
Pompeii.  The  large  room  on  the  right  of  the  peri- 
style, I  thought,  the  most  interesting  of  all.     Here 

[57] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

on  the  walls  are  fascinating  paintings  of  cupids, 
represented  as  doing  all  sorts  of  things:  throwing 
stones  at  a  target,  pressing  and  selling  wine,  manufac- 
turing and  selling  oil,  having  chariot  races,  etc.,  and 
the  detail  of  these  paintings  is  simply  marvelous.  It 
seems  beyond  belief  that  these  colors  can  have  kept 
eighteen  hundred  years.  They  were  a  very  luxurious 
family,  evidently,  these  Vettii,  for  everything  about 
the  place  where  they  dwelt  bespeaks  wealth,  pleasure 
and  luxury.  The  Japanese  seemed  most  interested  in 
everything,  and  showed  a  keen  appreciation  for  all 
that  was  most  exquisite  artistically.  We  were  glad  to 
revisit  with  them  our  favorite  spots  in  Pompeii,  the 
House  of  Glaucus  (I  bought  a  new  copy  of  the  "Last 
Days  of  Pompeii"  yesterday),  the  Temple  of  Isis, 
where  all  the  hypocrisy  of  the  priests  is  so  beauti- 
fully shown  up  in  their  little  secret  passages  and 
doors.  It  seems  a  pity  that  they  could  not  have  left  the 
beautiful  statues  found  here,  in  their  original  places ; 
but  of  course,  after  one  has  been  here  a  number  of 
times,  and  knows  the  museum  pretty  well  by  heart, 
one  can  fit  the  two  things  together  in  one*s  mind. 

The  voices  of  this  depopulated  city  of  Pompeii, 
the  favorite  resort  of  the  Roman  Empire,  suffocated,  in 
all  the  strenuousness  of  a  life  of  joy  and  dissipation 

[S8] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

by  the  ashes  and  lava  of  Vesuvius,  have  been  studied 
by  all  who  are  desirous  of  learning  the  customs  and 
history  of  this  remote  past.  It  always  seems  to  me 
that  from  the  monuments  and  houses  turned,  after 
so  many  centuries,  to  the  light  of  the  sun,  one  can 
read  with  clearer  evidence  that  from  all  the  writ- 
ings and  histories  of  the  poets,  what  was  the  real 
life  of  this  decadent  Rome,  which,  having  arrived 
at  the  summit  of  her  power,  gave  herself  over 
totally  to  ruin  and  dissolution.  Even  the  walls  have 
their  revelation    upon   them. 

Roughly  traced,  you  can  see  designs  even  on  the 
outer  ramparts,  sentences,  satirical  verses,  words  of 
love,  of  hate,  bets  and  threats,  exclamations  of 
joy  and  despair,  remote  voices  that  seem  those  of 
yesterday,  because  they  are  spontaneous.  As  a  dis- 
tinguished Professor  has  truly  said,  "We  seem  to 
still  hear  the  beating  heart  from  which  they  sprang, 
and  the  trembling  of  the  lips  that  pronounced 
these  very  words."  More  fragmentary  inscriptions 
have  been  found  of  unusual  interest,  but  many  of 
them  are  of  a  dissolute  nature,  not  suitable  for 
translation. 

As  we  wandered  about   these  ruins,  I  was  con- 
stantly reminded  of  Shelley's  lines : 

[59] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

"  I  stood  within  the  city  disinterred  ; 
And  heard  the  autumnal  leaves  like  light  foot-falls 
Of  spirits  passing  through  the  streets ;  and  heard 
The  mountain's  slumberous  voice  at  intervals 
Thrill  through  those  roofless  halls. 
The  oracular  thunder  penetrating  shook 
The  listening  soul  in  my  suspended  blood : 
I  felt  that  Earth  out  of  her  deep  heart  spoke — 
I  felt,  but  heard  not.  Through  white  columns  glowed 
The  isle-sustaining  ocean  flood, 
A  plane  of  light  between  two  heavens  of  azure." 

We  returned  to  Naples  in  the  late  afternoon, 
and  F.  B.  gave  a  dinner  for  the  Japanese  officers. 
I  felt  very  odd  at  the  table,  being  the  only  woman. 
I  noticed  at  the  beginning  of  each  course,  several 
of  the  officers  watched  me  very  closely,  and  I  won- 
dered why.  Presently  one  of  them  said  to  me,  "It 
is  very  hard  for  us  Japanese  to  know  just  which 
is  the  proper  knife  and  fork  to  take  at  each  course.'* 
I  laughed  and  replied,  "There  are  a  good  many 
people  who  know  as  little  as  you,  since  the  jew- 
elers change  their  fashions  so  often,  it  is  hard  for 
any  one  to  keep  pace  with  their  new  shapes  and  styles." 
I  felt  quite  proud  to  sit  at  the  head  of  the  table, 
surrounded  by  so  many  brass  buttons  and  stunning 
uniforms.  The  officers  certainly  looked  extremely 
well,  and  evidently  had  a  good  time.  During  the 
dinner  some  Italian  musicians  came  in  with  their 

[60] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

guitars  and  mandolins,  and  sang  my  pet  Neapolitan 
songs;  and  after  coffee  and  cigars,  we  drove  over  to 
a  little  summer  theatre  at  one  side  of  the  Castello 
deir  Ovo.  F.  B.  had  a  large  box  for  us,  and  I  trans- 
lated the  bright  little  comic  opera  for  the  officers, 
as  best  I  could.  After  the  first  act,  the  orchestra 
struck  up  the  Italian  National  Hymn,  and  to  our 
great  amazement,  the  audience  turned  deliberately 
around,  and  cheered  our  box  three  times.  We  could 
not  imagine  what  it  meant,  until  it  suddenly  oc- 
curred to  me  that  it  was  the  twentieth  of  September, 
the  national  holiday  that  United  Italy  celebrates  in 
commemoration  of  the  day  when  the  victorious 
Italian  army  entered  Rome,  in  1870.  I  felt  very 
much  embarrassed,  as  did  F.  B.,  but  the  Japanese 
officers  remained  calm  and  unruffled,  and  bowed  their 
acknowledgments  to  the  crowd  below  in  a  graceful 
manner.  Kipling  has  said  of  some  of  us  Americans, 
"that  we  have  a  great  deal  of  manner  and  very  few 
manners,*'  but  he  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  the  Jap- 
anese, who  know  exactly  what  to  do  and  say  on  all 
occasions. 

After  the  play  was  over,  we  jumped  into  cabs  and 

drove  to  the  pier,  where  the  launch  was  waiting  to 
take  the  officers  back  to  the  ships.  They  sailed  away 
the  next  day,  and  we  Ve  had  postals  quite  frequently, 

[61] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  letters  now  and  again  from  one  or  more  of  them 
ever  since.  The  first  letter  I  received,  was  directed 
to  F.  B.,  but  began  "  My  dear  Mrs.  Batcheller,"  on 
the  inside.  Was  n't  it  the  extreme  limit  of  oriental 
politeness  to  allow  F.  B.  the  first  reading  of  a  letter 
to  his  wife  from  a  stranger?  As  I  replied  in  a  rea- 
sonably short  time,  letters  since  then  have  come  ad- 
dressed directly  to  me.  It  is  about  time  for  us  to 
hear  from  them  again,  and  now  that  the  war  is  on, 
we  are,  more  than  usual,  anxious  to  know  that  they 
are  all  right. 

F.  B.  has  just  come  in  with  the  horrid  news  of 
the  sinking  of  the  Japanese  cruiser  Takasago  on 
the  night  of  December  12th.  How  odd  that  I 
should  just  be  writing  you  about  it !  It  was  sunk  by 
a  floating  mine  at  sea.  The  Captain  Ishibashi  stood 
on  the  forebridge  and  addressed  the  crew,  five  hun- 
dred in  number,  who  assembled  on  the  upper  deck. 
He  ordered  everybody  on  board  to  equip  himself 
with  a  life-buoy,  and  added,  "No  one  must  leave 
the  ship  until  she  sinks,  we  will  share  together  the 
fate  of  the  vessel."  The  account  says  the  crew  then 
sang  a  naval  song.  Fancy  their  wishing  to  sing  just 
before  the  ship  plunged  to  the  bottom !  Three 
boats  had  been  lowered  with  their  regulation  crews 
on  board.     The   waves  were   running  high,  and  the 

[62] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

fate  of  the  boats  themselves  seemed  at  times  precari- 
ous, but  the  warship  Otawa  came  to  their  rescue. 
Only  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  persons  were 
saved,  however,  including  Captain  Ishibashi  himself. 

We  are  fearfully  upset  at  this  news,  but  F.  B.  says 
very  likely  our  friends  have  been  transferred  to  other 
ships,  so  I  am  hoping  for  the  best. 

We  are  going  out  to  Pompeii  to-morrow,  and  it 
will  recall  most  vividly  our  delightful  day  spent 
with  Lieutenants  Hatano  and  Arawo,  and  others  of 
the  Japanese  party. 


[63I 


VIII 
To  T.  C.  B. 

THE  BRONZES  OF  THE   NAPLES  MUSEUM 

Naples,  January  5,  1905 
My  dear  Papa: 

THIS  morning  we  went  to  the  museum,  and 
have  passed  a  most  delightful  day,  taking  a 
bit  of  lunch  at  the  nearest  restaurant  at 
noon-time.  Of  course,  many  people  have  seen  these 
bronzes,  but  many,  I  think,  do  not  quite  realize  their 
exact  position  in  the  world  of  art,  nor  understand 
why  we  find  the  only  large  bronzes  of  the  ancients 
here  and  nowhere  else;  and  perhaps  you  will  be  in- 
terested to  hear  a  few  of  the  results  of  my  recent 
studies  on  this  subject. 

These  bronzes  are  generally  believed  to  be  of 
Greek  workmanship,  and  to  represent  the  best  of 
ancient  Greek  art,  but  when  I  say  Greek,  you  must 
remember  that  there  was  no  Greek  or  Hellenic  na- 
tion in  the  true  sense  of  the  word.  The  Greek  or 
Hellenic  peoples  existed  not  as  organized  and  com- 
pact societies,  to  which  might  be  given  the  name  of 

[64] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

nation,  but  in  separated  cities,  each  independent  and 
by  itself,  acknowledging  no  over-lord,  and  deeming 
the  right  to  make  war  upon  their  nearest  neighbors 
the  highest  of  their  privileges.  The  city  had  first 
been  the  tribe,  the  tribe  had  been  the  family,  and  over 
the  family  ruled  the  father,  who  worshipped  his 
father  and  his  father's  father  as  the  especial  gods  of 
his  household,  hence,  as  you  know,  the  expression 
Lares  et  Penates.. 

The  fabric  of  all  Greek  society  was  then  almost 
exclusively  religious.  The  sacred  fire  was  not  to  be 
tended  by  aliens  or  foreigners,  and  must  be  perpetu- 
ally maintained  in  each  city.  But  in  spite  of  this 
exclusiveness  and  isolation,  a  certain  feeling  of 
kinship  sprang  up  between  the  peoples  calling  them- 
selves Hellenes.  In  their  various  customs,  and  especi- 
ally in  a  similarity  of  language,  which  distinguished 
them  from  other  tribes,  we  find  characteristics  that, 
in  a  way,  may  be  regarded  as  national.  There  was, 
also,  a  certain  religious  sympathy  and  feeling,  for 
those  who  had  left  the  Hellespont,  and  settled  west- 
ward on  the  south  shores  of  Italy,  where  they  were 
known  by  those  left  behind,  as  the  "  grey  folk,'*  peo- 
ple of  the  gloaming,  graioi,  graeci,  or  Greeks. 
With  these  tribes  the  Romans  first  came  into  con- 
tact, and  thus  the  word  "Greeks"  became  a  designa- 

[65] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

tion  for  the  whole  Hellenic  race.  Admitting  the 
social  and  intellectual  differences  between  the  lowest 
and  most  advanced  of  the  Greek  tribes,  the  contrast 
with  the  great  Asiatic  empires  marks  so  clear  a  line 
as  to  make  it  almost  a  necessity  to  speak  of  Greek 
national  character. 

"For  the  Assyrian  or  the  Persian,"  a  noted  his- 
torian says,  "  the  human  body  was  a  thing  to  be  in- 
sulted and  mutilated  at  his  will,  to  be  disgraced  by 
servile  prostrations,  or  to  be  offered  in  sacrifice  to 
wrathful  and  bloodthirsty  deities.  For  him,  woman 
was  a  mere  chattel,  while  his  children  were  posses- 
sions of  which  he  might  make  profit  by  selling  them 
into  slavery.  Of  these  abominable  usages  the  Greek 
practically  knew  nothing;  and  as  he  would  have 
shrunk  from  the  gouging  out  of  eyes,  and  slitting  of 
ears  and  noses,  so  on  the  other  hand  the  sight  of  the 
unclothed  body,  which  carried  to  the  Oriental  a 
sense  of  unseemliness  and  shame,  filled  the  Greek 
with  delight ;  and  the  exhibition  of  this  form,  in 
games  of  strength  and  skill,  became,  through  the 
great  festivals  of  the  separate  or  collective  tribes, 
bound  up  intimately  with  his  religion.  Yet  further, 
this  respect  for  the  person,  was  accompanied  by  a 
moral  self-respect,  which  would  submit  to  no  servile 
or  unseemly  humiliations,'* 

[66] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

The  festivals  of  the  polis  or  city  were  very 
large,  but  as  these  gatherings  were  purely  religious, 
they  were  no  hindrances  to  the  union,  and  thus  from 
the  small  family  gatherings,  sprang  the  magnificent 
assemblies,  which  made  the  names  of  Olympia,  Delos 
and  Nemea  famous,  while  the  guardianship  of  the 
great  temples  erected  at  these  places,  made  the  bond 
of  religious  union  still  firmer  and  closer.  The  full 
influence  of  these  festivals  on  education  can  scarcely 
be  imagined,  for  to  these  gatherings  was  attracted  all 
that  was  noble  and  high-minded  in  Greek  society, 
and  the  young  man  returning  to  his  clan,  or  tribe, 
was  haunted  by  the  magic  music  of  the  Delian 
hymns,  lyric  songs  such  as  no  other  age  or  land  has 
ever  equalled.  Like  poetry,  so  art  in  the  form  of 
wonderful  temples  began  to  be  developed.  These 
were  beautifully  decorated  with  elaborate  impedi- 
menta, and  sculpture  reached  almost  perfection. 

But  for  the  political  disunion  of  the  Hellenic 
races,  the  growth  of  Imperial  Rome  might  have 
been  forever  checked.  The  Greeks  could  progress 
along  all  lines  of  growth,  save  in  the  belief  that  to 
be  independent  they  must  be  dependent  on  each 
other,  that  they  must  sacrifice  some  individual  im- 
portance to  the  importance  of  the  race  as  a  whole. 
This  they   refused  to  see,  so  in  time  they  became 

[67] 


•      GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

merely  the  teachers,  the  artists,  really  the  employees, 
the  skilled  laborers,  of  the  Romans.  Thus  when  we  go 
to  the  Museum  in  Naples,  and  are  shown  countless 
treasures  in  bronze,  made  by  the  finest  Greek  artists, 
bearing  Greek  inscriptions,  and  are  told  that  they 
were  taken  from  the  houses  of  rich  Romans  in  Pom- 
peii and  Herculaneum,  we  remember  the  saying  of 
Benjamin  Franklin,  "We  must  all  hang  together  or 
we  shall  all  hang  separately," — which  was  precisely 
what  happened  to  the  Greek  cities  one  after  another. 
It  is  an  ill  wind,  however,  that  blows  no  one  good, 
and  to-day,  had  the  Greeks  not  been  forced  to  give 
of  their  talents  and  arts  to  the  Romans,  it  is  more 
than  likely  that  the  world  would  have  few,  if  any,  of 
these  priceless  treasures.  Indeed,  wicked  old  Vesu- 
vius performed  a  great  service  to  modern  art,  by  cov- 
ering up  these  beautiful  bronzes  so  well  that  the 
ruthless  robbers  of  the  Middle  Ages  could  not  get  at 
them,  and  melt  them  up  for  weapons  and  coins.  Of 
the  other  great  bronzes  in  which  the  world  of 
Magna  Grascia,  the  Hellespont  and  later  Rome  un- 
doubtedly abounded,  these  only  are  left  to  us.  General 
Francis  Walker  in  his  interesting  work,  "  Money," 
tells  how  the  treasure  of  the  world  was  gradually 
dissipated  during  the  Middle  Ages.  How,  at  first, 
in  the  earliest  times,  treasure  seems   to  have  been 

[68] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

hoarded  away  by  one  conqueror  after  another,  from 
Darius,  Croesus,  Alexander,  etc.,  until  about  six 
hundred  millions  of  dollars  were  probably  accumu- 
lated. After  the  Greek  and  Roman  conquests  of 
the  world,  this  treasure  was  made  use  of  in  part, 
as  coin.  Later,  in  the  time  of  the  Roman  Em- 
perors, the  mines  were  leased  out  to  individuals, 
who,  caring  nothing  for  the  mine  beyond  what 
they  could  extract  from  it  during  their  rental  of 
it,  took  out  only  the  best  of  the  metal,  heaping 
the  refuse  over  the  less  valuable  extracts,  till  after 
years  of  similar  treatment,  the  mine  could  no 
longer  be  worked  to  advantage.  With  the  adoption 
of  coins  as  a  medium  of  exchange,  the  abrasion  of 
metal  meant  the  loss  of  many  thousands  each  year, 
while  much  of  the  precious  metal  of  the  world  was 
probably  lost  by  flood,  shipwreck,  fire,  etc.  Gradu- 
ally with  the  abuses  of  the  Roman  Empire,  and  the 
disuse  of  the  mines,  the  treasures  of  the  world  gradu- 
ally disappeared,  until  the  gold  and  silver  coins 
were  replaced  with  copper  and  iron.  To  supply 
this  need  of  money,  the  many  bronze  figures  were 
melted  up  and  made  into  coins.  Finally  the  coins 
became  almost  exclusively  iron,  and  the  bolts  of  the 
Colosseum  were  extracted  for  the  necessary  currency 
of  the  time.     Hence  we  have  no  wonderful  large 

[69] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

bronzes  at  Athens,  nor  at  Rome,  indeed  nowhere, 
except  where  the  vast  lava  streams  of  Vesuvius  put 
them  beyond  the  avarice  and  greed  of  the  wild  in- 
vaders from  the  North,  during  the  dark  days  of  the 
Middle  Ages.  Here,  then,  is  the  explanation  why 
we  find  in  the  Museum  at  Naples  probably  the  only 
originals  of  the  old  Greek  art  in  bronze. 

Nearly  all  students  of  the  dim  past  believe  that 
most,  if  not  all,  of  the  famous  statues  now  seen  in 
large  marble,  were  originally  made  in  smaller 
bronzes,  and  afterwards  copied  in  marble.  Surely 
there  are  many  facts  that  seem  to  confirm  this 
theory.  If  we  examine  carefully  the  "Venus  of 
Milo,"  the  "Venus  of  Capua,"  and  the  small  bronze 
of  "Venus  at  Her  Toilet,"  in  the  bronze  collection 
at  Naples,  we  shall  see  a  striking  similarity  in  pose 
and  treatment.  That  this  small  bronze  was  the 
original,  is  not  at  all  certain,  but  that  all  three  were 
taken  from  some  larger  bronze  model,  there  can  be 
little  doubt.  It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  origi- 
nal of  these  Venuses  was  a  work  of  the  fourth 
century  B.  C,  which  stood  on  the  Acrocorinthus. 
On  Corinthian  coins  Venus,  the  tutelary  goddess 
of  the  city,  is  represented  in  a  similar  attitude, 
in  the  act  of  using  a  shield  as  a  mirror.  Some 
authorities    state    positively    that    the    "  Venus    of 

[7°] 


F      ~T' 


c   the  vas; 

J   the  '  oTceH  ni 

>m  the  Noril 

le   Ag-rS.         He  ;c,    IL. 

^^'^  ^^^  '  eum  at  Naoles  pn 

originals  oid  Greek  artgn  bronze. 


tak 


g    n    past  believe  .  . 
en  fit's;  no^v  seen  in 


N 
O 

OQ 

a: 


o 
o 


■  I  ij  >  I  itx: 


atti 

_-iieId  as  a  "-■---- 
)sitively    thaf 


OF  The 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Milo,'*  a  work  of  the  second  century  before  Christ, 
was  modelled  on  the  same  original  as  the  Venus  of 
the  Corinthian  coin,  and  by  many  is  considered  a 
"  Victory  "  rather  than  a  "  Venus." 

Another  interesting  comparison  is  seen  in  the 
"Venus  of  Medici,"  now  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery  at 
Florence,  the  "Venus  Capitolina"  in  Rome,  and 
the  three  small  statues  of  Venus  in  marble  in  the 
Museum  of  Naples.  These  all  probably  were  modelled 
from  some  wonderful  bronze  lost  to  us  forever. 
The  Roman  Empresses  were  generally  anxious  to 
be  represented  in  sculpture  as  Venus,  and  these  three 
last  mentioned  statues  are  thought  to  be  portraits 
of  the  Empresses  of  Imperial  Rome. 

Another  interesting  comparison  is  found  between 
the  famous  "Winged  Victory"  in  marble  in  Rome, 
and  the  small  "Winged  Victory"  in  bronze  at  the 
Naples  Museum.  Some  one  has  said  that  the  real 
truth  is  never  known  of  any  event  that  is  past, 
and  this  is  perhaps  true,  yet  circumstantial  evidence 
has  been  sufficiently  strong,  in  many  cases,  to  lead 
the  best  and  most  thorough  students  of  ancient  art  to 
arrive  at  certain  definite  conclusions.  An  eminent 
professor,  in  his  work  on  ancient  art,  states  positively 
that  the  beautiful  marble  head  of  "  Hera,"  called  by 
some  the  "Farnese  Juno,"  is  merely  a  replica  of  a 

[71] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

bronze  original,  executed  by  Polycletus,  as  a  standard 
example  of  the  system  of  proportion  established  by 
him.  Here,  as  in  many  of  the  bronzes,  the  eyes 
were  to  have  been  of  some  other  material,  glass, 
stone,  or  silver,  and  joined  to  the  statue. 

The  same  enthusiasm  is  experienced  for  the  group 
of  tyrant  slayers,  "Harmodius  and  Aristogeiton," 
probably  a  marble  copy  of  the  bronze  of  Critios  and 
Nesiotes  vi^hich  stood  in  the  market-place  at  Athens. 
The  Argive  School  of  the  latter  half  of  the  fifth 
century  B.  C.  acknowledged  as  its  head  Polycletus. 
He  often  modelled  from  early  works  of  the  Athenian 
School,  and  altered  them  to  his  ideal  of  symmetry 
and  beauty.  An  excellent  example  of  his  style  is 
seen  in  the  fine  bronze  reproductions  of  his  Dory- 
phorus,  from  the  palaestra  at  Pompeii.  In  this  Nea- 
politan collection  we  find  also  many  excellent  ex- 
amples of  the  school  of  Praxiteles,  especially  in  the 
bronze  "Apollo"  from  Pompeii,  a  work  probably 
of  the  fifth  century  B.  C,  and  the  only  bronze  statue 
hitherto  found  at  Pompeii  of  a  natural  size.  The 
eyes  are  of  marble,  and  the  left  hand  probably  held 
a  lyre.  In  fact  nearly  all  stages  of  Greek  art  may 
be  traced  in  this  collection.  A  very  early  period  is 
represented  by  the  head  of  a  youth  remarkable  for 
the  soldering  on  of  the  hair. 

[72] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

The  so-called  "Dancing  Women,'*  five  large 
bronze  statues,  which  are  represented  at  the  back  of 
the  picture,  are  supposed  to  represent  actresses,  as  they 
were  found  in  the  theatre  at  Herculaneum.  There 
are  three  others  similar,  but  rather  smaller.  A 
strange  effect  is  produced,  by  the  use  of  the  stone 
eyes,  giving  the  features  the  appearance  of  living 
negroes.  These  figures  are  said  to  belong  to  the 
same  cycle  as  the  sculptures  at  Selinus  and  Olympia. 

A  bearded  head,  another  interesting  work,  once 
erroneously  called  Plato,  illustrates  the  artistic  form 
of  the  stage  represented  by  Myron;  while  later  art, 
the  authorities  tell  us,  is  shown  in  the  world-famous 
statue  of  Narcissus,  now  called  Dionysos.  You 
recall  the  story  of  Narcissus,  the  beautiful  youth 
with  whom  nymphs  and  naiads  were  always  falling 
in  love.  Poor  Echo,  a  young  nymph,  who  had 
been  punished  by  Juno  for  having  talked  too  much, 
and  had  had  her  voice  taken  from  her,  except  to 
repeat  what  others  said  to  her,  had  also  fallen  prey 
to  the  charms  of  the  beautiful  Narcissus.  Tradition 
has  it  that  she  wasted  away  until  nothing  was  left 
but  her  voice.  Narcissus  listened  to  her  praises,  and 
in  this  posture  we  see  him  in  the  bronze.  The  story 
says  he  remained  unmoved  by  her  love,  and  as  he  had 
remained  unmoved  by  all   the   affections  bestowed 

[73] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

upon  him,  the  avenging  Goddess  Nemesis  caused  him 
to  fall  in  love  with  his  own  image  reflected  in  the 
fountain,  so  he,  in  his  turn,  was  punished.  The 
story  ends  rather  sadly,  for  we  are  told,  that  gazing 
upon  his  lovely  form,  he  pined  away,  until  he  was 
eventually  changed  into  the  flower  that  bears  his  name. 
It  rather  offended  my  illusion  that  some  sober  pro- 
fessor now  prefers  to  call  the  beautiful  figure  Di- 
onysos,  since  the  listening  posture  distinctly  suggests 
the  myth  of  Narcissus  and  Echo. 

The  bronzes  from  Pompeii  and  those  from  Her- 
culaneum  are  easily  distinguished  by  their  difl^erent 
colors.  Those  from  Herculaneum  are  of  a  dark 
black-greenish  color,  while  those  from  Pompeii  are 
oxidized  and  of  a  light  blue-green  hue.  The  difl^er- 
ence  is  due,  it  is  thought  by  some,  to  a  difference  in 
treatment,  while  others  maintain  that  the  bronzes 
from  Herculaneum,  being  protected  by  much  lava, 
escaped  the  oxidizing  which  the  falling  ashes  gave 
to  the  bronzes  from   Pompeii. 

Almost  the  first  bronze  that  meets  our  eye  when  we 
enter  this  place  of  wonders,  is  the  "Colossal  Horse," 
reconstructed  from  over  two  hundred  fragments.  We 
feel  that  it  must  have  been  one  of  a  quadriga,  and  as 
we  stand  before  the  huge  creature,  it  seems  ready  to 
prance  out  of  the  Museum  at  any  moment.    Strength 

[74] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  beauty  are  in  every  line.  There  is  another  enor- 
mous horse's  head,  that  was  a  part  of  the  horse 
that  decorated  the  vestibule  of  the  temple  of 
Neptune,  in  the  days  when  Naples  was  Neapolis, 
and  the  guide  tells  us  that  this  head  was  converted 
into  a  bell  by  a  superstitious  priest  at  the  Church  of 
St.  Gennaro;  it  was  later  taken  to  the  Museum. 
We  are  shown  many  small  bronzes  intended  for 
fountains.  Among  the  most  interesting  to  me  was 
the  "Boy  with  the  Wine-skins,"  from  which  the 
water  flowed,  and  to-day  ,  in  Naples,  the  boys  may 
be  seen  carrying  water  in  precisely  this  way,  in  the 
same  sort  of  skins. 

A  strangely  interesting  discovery  was  made  in  a 
Herma  of  Lucius  Cagcilius  Jucundus,  erected,  as  the 
Greek  inscription  tells  us,  by  his  freedman  Felix, 
and  found  at  Pompeii.  That  he  was  a  banker,  is 
proved  by  the  finding  of  a  carbonized  box  at  Pom- 
peii in  June,  1875,  containing  about  five  hundred 
triptychs,  and  receipts  for  money  advanced  by  him. 
The  head  is  so  life-like  with  its  stone  eyes,  colored 
pupils,  the  gaze  so  searching,  that  I  immediately 
congratulated  myself  that  my  January  ist  bills  were 
all  paid. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  you  about  all  this  vast 
collection  in   detail,  so   I   am  coming  now  to  the 

[75] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

great   masterpieces,   having  saved   the  best  for  the 
last. 

Nothing  in  the  world  of  art  is  more  graceful,  and 
more  beautiful  than  the  "  Resting  Hermes,"  com- 
monly known  to  us  by  his  Roman  name  of  Mercury. 
Here  is  a  perfect  representation  of  vigorous,  lithe 
youth  at  a  moment  of  complete  relaxation  ;  yet  one 
feels  that  at  any  moment  the  figure  may  spring 
into  life,  so  real  is  the  portrayal  of  reserve  strength. 
It  always  rests  me  to  look  at  the  perfect  calm,  thus 
wonderfully  represented,  and  the  Museum  authori- 
ties have  most  wisely  arranged  a  bench  near  by, 
where  every  one  involuntarily  goes  to  rest  with  the 
statue,  and  admires  while  resting.  Our  heads  were 
nearly  turned  by  the  numerous  wonders  that  de- 
manded our  attention.  We  were  so  glad  to  see 
again  the  world-famed  statuette  of  the  "  Dancing 
Faun,"  found  in  the  house  named  from  the  statuette 
in  Pompeii.  He  is  all  movement  and  careless 
merriment,  while  on  the  other  hand,  the  drunken 
"  Silenus  "  seems  to  be  all  effort  and  muscular  exer- 
tion. We  turn  from  these  to  the  statue  of  the 
"Sleeping  Satyr,"  with  his  filled  pigskin  (used  as  a 
wine-flask)  at  his  side.  He  is  surely  asleep,  and  it 
is  a  great  work  of  art,  though  not  as  pleasing  to  the 
eye   as  some  others.     Of  course  one  must  admire 

[76] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  incomparable  art  of  the  utterly  irresponsible 
"Drunken  Faun,'*  who  lies  back,  laughing  at  all  the 
world  in  his  drunken  debauch,  and  snapping  his  fin- 
gers at  the  possible  consequence  of  his  revel.  I 
agree  that  it  is  a  capolavoro  (masterpiece),  but  it 
is  too  frightfully  realistic  to  be  agreeable,  and  I 
slighted  him  to-day  to  enjoy  the  marvelous  strength, 
activity  and  alertness  of  the  "Wrestlers.**  Surely 
nothing  can  be  more  perfect  than  their  beautiful 
limbs  trained  so  admirably  for  muscular  action,  and 
one  cannot  but  admire  their  perfection  and  bodily 
development,  that  was  attained  to  be  displayed  in 
the  great  national  religious  festivals  of  the  Greeks. 
No  wonder  the  Greeks  were  great  sculptors  with 
such  models.  If  it  were  a  part  of  the  religion  of 
to-day  to  perfect  human  health,  I  fancy  our  race 
would  be  nearer  physical  perfection  than  it  is.  I  am 
always  somewhat  surprised  at  the  statue  of  "  Diana,** 
with  her  strange,  glass-enameled  eyes.  Her  left  arm  is 
broken  off  and  is  hollow,  and  at  the  back  of  the  statue 
is  a  little  hole  in  the  neck,  from  which  priests  spoke,  at 
the  temple  of  Apollo  at  Pompeii,  where  the  statue 
was  found,  making  people  believe  that  the  voice 
proceeded  from  the  oracles  above,  when  in  reality 
their  own  voices  resounded  through  the  hollow 
bronze.      The    lovely    Diana    looks    at    you    quite 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

frankly,  as  if  resenting  the  deception  practised 
through   her. 

One  of  the  most  recent  treasures  found  at  Pompeii 
is  the  silver-plated  statue  called  "EfFebo"  (Ephebus). 
The  silver  has  become  quite  oxidized  by  the  ashes, 
but  the  perfection  of  line  and  form  of  the  statue  is  in 
no  way  injured.  That  silver  was  used  not  only  in 
plating  bronze,  is  proved  when  we  behold  the  silver 
bust  of  "  Galva."  I  admit  that  I  had  to  be  told  that  it 
was  silver,  but  on  examining  it  I  was  convinced.  It 
is  curious  and  interesting,  but  I  should  not  call  it  beau- 
tiful. Some  of  the  busts  show  bits  of  gold-plating, 
proving  that  sometimes  statues  were  also  gold-plated. 

We  passed  from  room  to  room  filled  with  count- 
less busts,  some  wonderful  portraits,  and  some  heads 
of  unknown  Greeks,  many  bearing  Greek  inscrip- 
tions. I  was  much  interested  in  the  small  collection 
of  little  bronze  busts ;  in  the  portrait  bust  of  Epicu- 
rus, especially  because  it  so  resembles  a  famous  states- 
man, the  Hon.  Mr.  P.,  whom  I  know  in  Canada. 

Indeed,  we  learn  here  that  bronze  was  most  exten- 
sively used  by  the  ancients.  We  saw  in  the  up- 
stairs bronze  rooms  this  afternoon,  many  kitchen 
ranges  of  different  sorts,  some  wonderful  tripod 
lamps,  tables  and  hundreds  of  other  ornaments. 

The  collection  of  small  bronzes  includes  tripod 

[78] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

candelabra,  lamps,  braziers,  money-chests,  jars,  jugs, 
bracelets,  chains,  such  as  Tiffany  is  glad  to  copy 
now ;  kitchen  utensils,  doctors*  instruments,  all 
sorts  of  weapons,  armour,  and  many  other  things 
that  make  us  realize  that  there  is  nothing  new  under 
the  sun.  Will  you  believe  it,  even  the  rouge-pots 
were  found,  with  the  polished  silver  mirrors,  at 
Pompeii  ?  The  women  then,  as  now,  were  always 
trying  to  please  the  other  sex.  The  exquisite  col- 
lection of  Greek  coins  remind  us  that  we  are  in  a 
land  that  once  was  the  thriving  and  envied  seat 
of  Greek  culture,  and  we  should  be  thankful  that 
the  Romans,  instead  of  destroying  that  culture, 
knew  how  to  use,  maintain  and  encourage  it. 

This  collection  of  bronzes  is  surely  unrivalled  in 
the  world  ;  the  number  and  magnitude  of  the  works, 
the  delicate  treatment  adapted  to  the  material,  and 
the  skilful  mastery  of  every  kind  of  difficulty  in 
casting  and  chiselling,  afford  the  best  possible  insight 
into  the  high  development  of  this  branch  of  art  in 
ancient  times.  As  I  left  the  Museum,  tired  and 
weary,  I  made  my  very  best  bow  to  Vesuvius  for  hav- 
ing given  me  the  privilege  of  enjoying  these  priceless 
and  unique  treasures. 


[79] 


IX 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

THE    JOURNEY    TO    ROME 

January  7,  1905 
My  dear  Mother: 

HERE  we  are  in  Rome  most  comfortably 
settled  at  the  Hotel  Bristol.  We  had  to 
leave  Naples  at  half-past  five  in  the  morn- 
ing, but  some  way  we  did  not  mind  it  at  all.  The 
landlord,  the  porter,  and  our  ever  faithful  Pasquale, 
stood  at  the  door  and  wished  us  a  buon  viaggio  as  if 
it  were  mid-day.  We  were  sorry  to  go,  but  we 
always  say  a  rivederla  to  Naples. 

The  train  was  supposed  to  be  heated — when  the 
thermometer  is  56  degrees  Fahrenheit  here,  the  na- 
tives think  they  are  quite  comfortable — but  we  had 
taken  all  proper  precautions,  and  had  furs,  rugs  and 
warm  over-shoes,  and  a  small  flask  in  case  of  emer- 
gency. Fortunately  we  had  a  whole  compartment 
to  ourselves ;  we  spread  out  our  rugs,  and  kept  the 
windows  closed,  so  that  when  the  mists  rose  and  the 
sun    appeared,   we  became  quite   comfortable.     As 

[80] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  train  passed  along  through  the  out-lying  farms  of 
Naples,  it  seemed  as  if  it  must  be  spring,  so  much 
planting  was  going  on.  The  farms  are  usually 
quite  a  distance  from  any  house,  so  that  rude  little 
huts  are  built,  where  one  or  two  men  stay  at  night 
to  watch  over  the  gardens.  Now  and  again,  the 
train  passed  herds  of  the  Italian  water-buffalo.  They 
are  smaller  than  our  American  buffalo,  with  dark 
brown,  shaggy  hair,  and  their  horns  grow  straight 
back  from  their  ears,  giving  them  a  most  unusual 
appearance. 

Quite  in  the  American  way,  a  very  nice  dining- 
car  was  attached  to  the  train,  and  we  passed  a  de- 
lightful day,  enjoying  the  beauties  of  the  scenery. 
As  the  train  wound  in  and  around  the  valley  of  the 
Garigliano,  we  had  fine  views  of  the  rocky  summits 
of  the  Abruzzi  Mountains,  and  numerous  glimpses 
of  many  of  the  picturesque  little  hill  towns  which 
we  mean  to  come  and  visit  some  day.  It  seems  as 
if  some  one  had  picked  up  a  handful  of  tiny  stone 
houses  and  dropped  them  deliberately  on  top  of  a 
hill  or  mountain,  so  that  the  last  ones  had  slidden 
into  place  as  best  they  could  on  the  sides. 

High  up  on  the  mountain  tops  were  perched 
severe,  solid-looking  monasteries,  surrounded  by  high, 
massive  stone  walls,  and  bespeaking  isolation,  rigid 

[8i] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

self-discipline,  and  bodily  deprivation  of  all  kinds, 
A  rough,  steep  path  could  generally  be  traced  from 
the  monastery  on  the  hill  to  the  village  below,  show- 
ing that  after  all,  these  high-minded,  spiritual  friars 
are  obliged  to  come  in  contact  with  every-day  man 
and  his  life  now  and  then.  From  Cassino,  we  were 
able  to  see  the  famous  monastery  of  Monte  Cassino, 
high  up  on  the  summit  of  the  rock  above  us.  That 
was  the  first  and  most  famous  of  the  monasteries 
founded  by  St.  Benedict  in  529  A.  D.,  on  the  site  of 
an  ancient  temple  of  Apollo,  and  it  was  there  that  the 
Saint  died  the  21st  of  March,  543.  You  remember, 
Dante  alludes  in  his  ** Paradiso'*  to  Monte  Cassino 
and  San  Benedetto. 

"  Quel  monte,  a  cui  Cassino  h  nella  costa 
Fu  frequentato  gia  in  su  la  cima 
Dalla  gente  ingannata  e  mal  disposta 
E  quel  son  io  che  su  vi  portai  prima 
Lo  nome  di  Colui,  che  in  terra  addusse 
La  verita,  che  tanto  ci  sublima 
E  tanta  grazia  sovra  me  rilusse." 

**  That  mountain  on  whose  slope  Cassino  is,  was  of 
old  frequented  on  its  summit  by  the  deluded  and  ill- 
disposed  people,  and  I  am  he  who  first  carried  up 
thither  the  name  of  Him  who  brought  to  earth  the 
truth  which  so  high  exalts  us:  and  such  grace  shone 


VIEW  OF  MONTE  GASSING 

SHOWING    MONASTERY    ON    TOP    OF    MOUNTAIN 
From  a  ivater-color  by  C.  Carelli 


L^'i.-cr'aEKIF 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,  BY  TRYPHOSA   BATES  BATCMELLEH 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

upon  me  that  I  drew  away  the  surrounding  villages 
from  impious  worship  which  seduced  the  world." 

The  monastery  was  declared  a  National  monu- 
ment in  1866,  but  continues  to  exist  now  as  an 
ecclesiastical  educational  establishment,  with  about 
forty  monks  and  two  hundred  pupils.  I  was  very 
sorry  we  had  not  planned  to  stay  there  a  day  or  so, 
for  the  monks,  who  are  of  very  high  standing,  allow 
people  to  stay  over  night,  though  ladies  are  given 
apartments  in  a  building  outside  the  monastery. 
The  whole  place  is  wonderfully  picturesque,  and  the 
views  from  the  monastery  must  be  magnificent. 

A  short  time  before  we  reached  Rome,  the  train 
passed  through  Anagni,  once  the  summer  residence 
of  Pope  Boniface  VIII,  who  was  taken  prisoner  there 
and  barely  escaped  death.  The  town  looked  very 
old  and  interesting,  and  I  wished  we  might  have 
stopped,  but  sometime  I  mean  to  motor  through 
Italy,  and  then  I  can  see  all  these  interesting  little 
places  I  have  read  about  so  much. 

When  the  train  rolled  into  the  broad  Campagna, 
we  saw  the  long  line  of  broken  aqueducts  that 
you  see  represented  in  so  many  pictures.  No 
wonder  they  are  often  painted ;  they  certainly  formed 
a  beautiful  picture  against  the  pink  sunset  sky,  as  we 
saw  them  last  night.  The  dome  of  St.  Peter's  seemed 

[83] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

like  a  pin  speck  in  the  distance,  yet  it  was  only  a 
very  short  time  before  we  were  in  Rome.  The  train 
was  excellent — really. 

The  custom-house  officials  were  very  nice  to  us 
about  our  spring  water,  although  they  looked  rather 
incredulous,  and  I  fancied  a  bit  contemptuous.  The 
idea  of  bringing  water  to  Rome !  It  seemed  to  them 
like  bringing  coals  to  Newcastle ;  you  do  hear  people 
say,  that  the  water  in  Rome  is  very,  very  fine,  but 
those  same  people  are  the  ones  who  say,  "Water 
is  water,"  or,  "Do  try  our  well  water,  it  is  so  nice 
and  hard."  Of  course  we  paid  no  attention  to  the 
smiles  of  the  officials,  as  we  knew  "jolly  well"  the 
worth  of  our  own  blessed  ^abaug;  yet  when  we  told 
a  lady  yesterday,  that  it  was  the  softest  water  in  the 
world,  and  that  a  famous  scientific  friend  in  England 
had  said  it  was  a  sure  cure  for  gout,  she  replied,  "  I 
much  prefer  hard  water,  though  it  ruins  the  boilers 
in  my  house  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time." 
Poor  dear!  I  don't  suppose  she  saw  the  irony  of  her 
own  contradiction,  for  her  "  tumtum  "  must  be  stronger 
than  her  steam  boilers,  according  to  her  own  story. 

The  landlord  at  this  hotel  is  an  Italian,  and  very 
agreeable  and  obliging.  The  dining  room  is  cheerful 
and  pleasant,  and  all  the  waiters  speak  three  or  four 
languages.     We  have  a  delightful  suite  on  the  sunny 

[84] 


li  V.  \.ni  i. 


J5  '<-,     1>CH. 
Ui 

g  Water 

o  3  »o  nice 

§  on  to  the 

j^  ^^'cU"  the 

<  ijcn  wc  told 

2  water  in  the 


"  ^•'; gland 


I  c  I  >  I J  " 


ai 

a 

m 

a:  , 

<  "he  buiici-      ' 


ni  is  cheerful 


il    liK' 


Of  TUf 


Of 


^irlFORNl^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

side,  overlooking  the  Barberini  Gardens,  The  palace 
is  lovely,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  have  a  pretty  garden 
to  look  at  every  day.  Our  rooms  are  at  the  end  of 
the  house,  so  that  my  singing,  I  hope,  will  not  disturb 
any  one.  We  were  so  happy  to  get  here  again,  we 
could  not  wait  even  to  unlock  our  trunks  before 
running  down  into  the  Piazza  di  Spagna.  Every- 
thing is  just  as  it  was  two  years  ago,  and  oh,  so  lovely  ! 
Prof.  Sgambati,  who  lives  on  the  Piazza,  told  me 
that  he  had  the  nostalgia  della  Piazza  di  Spagna, 
because  he  never  wanted  to  go  anywhere  else.  He  has 
had  an  apartment  overlooking  the  square  for  twenty 
years,  and  although  there  are  many  other  apartments 
elsewhere  in  Rome  much  more  convenient,  that  he 
could  have  now-a-days,  nothing  would  induce  him 
to  leave  his  beloved  corner. 

We  bought  an  armful  of  flowers  from  the  pictur- 
esque flower  girls,  and  passed  a  lot  of  the  "  red  devils,'* 
as  some  call  the  German  students  in  their  bright 
scarlet  robes,  on  the  way  up  the  steps  to  hear  the  nuns 
sing  their  lovely  vespers  in  Santa  Maria  della  Trinita. 

Rome  !  Rome  !  there  is  nothing  like  Rome  in  the 
whole  world,  and  the  more  one  comes  here,  the 
more  one  feels  it ! 

I  will  write  you  again  in  a  few  days,  when  we 
are  a  little  more  settled. 

[85] 


To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

HIS  HOLINESS,  THE  POPE,  IN  ST.  PETER*S 

Rome,  Italy,  January  8,  1905 
My  dearest  M, : 

WE  have  been  in  Rome  only  a  few  days, 
but  we  have  already  been  blessed  by  His 
Holiness.  The  magnificent  porter  at  our 
hotel  told  us  this  morning  that  there  was  to  be  an  un- 
usual ceremony  to-day  at  St.  Peter's.  It  seems  that 
the  Pope  was  to  canonize  a  French  priest,  Giovanni 
Vianney,  of  the  parish  of  Ars,  who  has  been  dead 
some  time,  and  whose  life  was  especially  holy  and 
devoted  to  good  works. 

We  immediately  sent  word  to  R.,  who  knows 
everybody,  particularly  at  the  Vatican,  and  asked 
him  to  get  us  two  nice  seats  in  one  of  the  best 
tribunes.  As  usual,  he  worked  the  necessary  magic, 
and  at  half  past  two  in  the  afternoon  we  started  off 
in  our  coupe  to  see  the  great  beatification  cere- 
mony. 

I  had  to  wear  a  black  velvet  gown,  and  a  long 

[86] 


,.'^';l- 


M' 


U 


HIS  HOLINESS  THE  POPE  PIUS  X 


c. 


f^^  i->-^   (/ x^y^'t-^'^)-^  A-*-^^     1_^r/-C-s 


y(j(r-/    O  i'-i'^y-^"'*^     jb  e,-«.i_«-,»v ' ^^^  ' 


OTTHC 

UNIVERSITY 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

black  lace  veil  on  my  head — it  was  too  funny, —  I 
felt  like  Donna  Elvira  in  the  opera  of  Don 
Giovanni.  You  remember  hearing  Nordica  sing 
the  r6le  ?     F.  B.  had  to  wear  all  black  also. 

As  we  drove  along  the  streets,  we  passed  numer- 
ous carriages,  many  of  them  open  in  spite  of  the 
cold,  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen,  also  going  to 
the  beatification;  in  fact,  it  seemed  that  all  Rome 
was  rolling  toward  St.  Peter's,  and  that  all  the 
women  were  decked  out  in  black  lace  veils.  Distances 
are  not  so  great  in  Rome,  but  even  the  poorer  people 
felt  that  on  this  grand  occasion  they  must  have  a 
carriage. 

Our  driver  took  us  across  the  bridge  Ponte  Sant' 
Angelo,  so  we  had  a  splendid  view  of  Hadrian's 
Tomb.  I  always  think  of  it,  though,  as  the  Castello 
Sant'  Angelo,  and  we  have  promised  ourselves  to  go 
over  it  again  while  we  are  here,  as  there  are  very 
good  and  well-preserved  frescoes  in  the  interior,  and 
altogether  it  is  a  most  interesting  place. 

It  is  a  sort  of  preface  anyway  to  going  to  the 
Vatican,  as  it  was  formerly  the  Pontifical  residence, 
and  Alexander  V  and  John  XXIII  caused  a  covered 
passage  from  it  to  the  Vatican  to  be  built  as  a  secret 
means  of  escape  and  communication  in  times  of 
danger. 

[87] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

When  we  got  into  the  Borgo,  the  crowds  became 
immense,  and  our  driver  had  to  be  very  patient, 
working  his  way  in  and  out  among  the  people. 
Sometimes  fifty  years  elapse  between  one  beatifica- 
tion and  another,  so  even  the  Romans,  who  are 
used  to  the  Pope  and  the  grand  ceremonies  at  St. 
Peter's,  were  most  anxious  to  take  part  in  this  un- 
usual event. 

Our  ticket  admitted  us  to  the  side  door,  and  I 
soon  found  myself  in  a  surging  crowd  of  all  sorts  of 
people.  Excited  nuns  were  marshalling  dozens  of 
small  children,  from  schools,  I  suppose,  and  stern 
looking  friars  lost  their  usual  calm  in  their  endeavor 
to  get  on,  and  secure  their  places  in  time  for  the  en- 
trance of  His  Holiness. 

When  one  of  the  Pope's  guard,  arrayed  in  black 
velvet  knee  breeches,  with  mediaeval  slashed  sleeves 
and  stiff  Elizabethan  ruff,  had  bowed  us  into  our 
seats,  we  felt  we  were  quite  settled  for  some  time, 
and  could  look  about  and  thoroughly  enjoy  the 
scene  before  us. 

We  had,  thanks  to  R.,  excellent  seats  in  one  of 
the  best  tribunes  near  the  high  altar;  and  I  found 
myself  next  to  a  distinguished  old  French  lady,  very 
richly  dressed  in  black,  and  wearing  a  beautiful 
diamond  tiara   to   hold  her  black  lace  veil  in  place. 

[88] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN    COURT  LIFE 

She  gives  great  sums  to  the  Pope  each  year,  and  of 
course,  would  not  have  missed  this  canonization  of 
one  of  her  countrymen  for  anything.  She  had  come 
expressly  from  Paris  for  the  occasion.  The  somber- 
ness  of  the  black  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  jewels  in 
the  open  tribunes  were  very  striking,  and  made  a 
most  unique  picture. 

It  seems  so  strange  that  everyone  who  goes  to 
see  the  Pope  must  dress  in  deep  black  always,  yet  all 
of  his  guards  and  officers,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
wear  the  most  brilliant  uniforms.  You  are  familiar 
with  the  Guardie  Nobile,  or  Swiss  Guard,  with 
their  stiff  ruffs  and  their  peculiar  slashed  uniforms 
of  red  and  yellow.  But  to-day  there  were  a  dozen 
or  more  other  brilliant  uniforms  worn  by  different 
guards  and  officers  of  the  Pope's  now  miniature 
army.  As  they  walked  back  and  forth,  seeing  that 
every  last  arrangement  was  quite  perfect  for  the 
entrance  of  His  Holiness,  one  fancied  that  one 
might  be  in  Mme.  Tussaud's  again,  only  here  the 
figures  all  moved. 

The  church  was  really  magnificent.  The  vast 
columns  of  the  central  part  were  hung  with  crimson 
brocade  embroidered  in  gold,  and  vast  numbers  of 
candles,  now  lighted  by  electricity,  made  the  great 
church    ablaze    with    light.     The    high    altar    was 

[89] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

simply  beyond  description.  The  rays  of  glory  about 
the  altar  picture  have  had  electric  globes  put  all 
over  them,  and  when  they  blazed  into  sparkling 
lights,  you  can  imagine  the  effect. 

We  had  not  waited  long  when  the  organ  swelled 
forth  a  march,  and  more  of  the  Pope's  guard  marched 
into  the  church  in  line,  carrying  their  mediaeval  lan- 
ces, and  looking  very  grand  and  ferocious.  It  was  most 
exciting.  After  them  came  the  bishops  with  their 
gorgeous  purples,  then  followed  the  long  line  of 
stately  red-draped  cardinals,  wearing  much  fine  lace ; 
and  then,  borne  aloft  by  twelve  men  clothed  in  red 
brocade,  came  Pius  X,  seated  in  a  golden  chair,  up- 
holstered in  crimson.  He  wore  a  long  white  robe, 
and  a  crimson  velvet  cape  heavily  embroidered  in 
gold.  Slowly  they  carried  him  through  the  great 
church  to  the  high  altar,  where  he  left  his  chair,  and 
the  canonization  ceremonies  were  carried  on  in 
Latin.  The  choir  sang  divinely,  the  Pope's  angel,  as 
the  famous  male  soprano  of  the  choir  of  St.  Peter's 
is  called,  giving  out  his  rare,  high  notes.  I  am  sure 
you  must  remember  hearing  him  sing  when  we  were 
here  together  a  few  years  ago.  After  the  short  ser- 
vices. His  Holiness  was  carried  back  through  the 
church  again.  We  were  not  twenty  feet  from  him, 
and  as  I  waved  my  handkerchief  with  everyone  else, 

[9°] 


into  *'  -f^  tlu-Ir  rnedi- 

CXf. 


'^••6 


-«-r»^*»i-i 


'  ''   line   of 

V3 

0^ 

ru-  lace; 

'  f^d 

jj 

a. 

..p- 

h 

CO 

..  robe. 

s 

O 

Af^rfi}  in 

a: 

u. 

at 

U3 

2 

0 

id 

OC 

b 

......V.    v..    m 

o 

dope's  angel,  as 

>— 1 

f  St.  Peter's 

> 

I  am  sure 

"*^^  we  were 

hort  ser- 

.wough   the 

... 

..-ct  from  ^'-'^ 

...1 

ii  everyon. 

GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

he  raised  his  hand  to  bless  us  all.  Not  a  sound 
was  heard ; — cheering  is  strictly  forbidden  on  such 
occasions. 

He  has  one  of  the  most  beautiful  hands  I  have  ever 
seen,  and  as  he  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  with  his 
two  fingers,  and  bowed  his  venerable  head  with  a 
rare,  sweet  smile  on  his  face,  I  felt  a  wee  lump  in  my 
throat,  and  my  handkerchief  was  needed  about  the 
eyes  for  a  minute.  Pius  X  did  not  wish  to  be 
Pope,  you  remember,  and  when  he  left  Venice,  as 
Cardinal  Patriarch  of  that  city,  he  bought  his  return 
ticket  to  his  dear  Venetia.  There  are  only  five 
titles  of  Patriarch  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  there  is  only  one  such  title  in  Italy.  The 
others  are  at  Jerusalem,  Constantinople,  Antioch 
and  Corinth,  in  fact  in  each  place  where  one 
of  the  twelve  apostles  founded  a  church.  The 
title  of  Patriarch  of  Venice  and  St.  Mark  was 
transferred  from  a  town  in  Asia  Minor  to  Venice. 
Pius  X  is  beloved  by  everybody,  and  I  can  easily  un- 
derstand why,  since  I  have  seen  him.  He  is  so  simple, 
so  kindly  in  his  appearance,  and  his  main  idea  is  to  be 
kind  to  every  one  and  to  help  to  bring  peace  over 
the  world.  Indeed,  he  has  already  done  a  great 
deal  toward  bringing  together  the  Vatican  and  the 
Quirinal,  so  that   the  Blacks  (Papal  followers)  and 

[91] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

the  Whites  (King's  followers)  no  longer  hate  each 
other  as  formerly. — I  was  told  that  the  Pope  had 
advised  all  Romans  to  vote  in  the  elections  as  all  other 
Italians.  "You  must  be  good  citizens  as  well  as  good 
Catholics/'  he  has  said.  Directly  following  his 
election  as  Pope,  he  received  congratulatory  messages 
firom  nearly  all  the  sovereigns  of  the  world.  As  he 
was  looking  them  over  he  said,  "  Ah  yes,  all  these  are 
gratifying,  but  the  one  I  wished  most  to  see  is  not 
here,"  meaning  that  from  the  King  of  Italy.  From 
this  remark  all  his  court  knew  at  once  that  Pius  X 
intended  to  be  more  friendly  with  the  Italian  King 
than  any  Pope  since   the  founding  of  United  Italy. 

He  insists  that  he  will  not  be  a  prisoner  in  the 
Vatican,  as  his  predecessors  have  been  since  Pius  IX, 
and  I  really  believe  it  will  not  be  long  before  he 
will  ride  about  Rome  as  the  Popes  of  old  used 
to  do. 

Professor  Sgambati  was  telling  me  the  other  day, 
what  a  commotion  it  used  to  make  when  Pius 
IX  took  his  drive  through  the  streets  of  Rome. 
As  he  passed,  every  one  was  expected  to  kneel  and 
uncover  their  heads,  so  that  those  who  were  waning 
in  their  loyalty  to  the  Pope,  used  to  run  into  the  nu- 
merous little  alleys  or  side  streets  to  escape  doing 
homage    in    the    prescribed    way.      Certainly    Pius 

[92] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

IX  must  have  presented  a  most  gorgeous  appearance 
with  numbers  of  his  Guardie  Nobile  riding  on  gayly 
caparisoned  horses  in  advance.  In  those  days  too, 
the  cardinals  w^ore  their  gorgeous  red  robes  in 
public,  and  numbers  of  them  were  nearly  always  in 
attendance  on  the  Pope  when  he  rode  out. 

From  Sgambati's  description  it  musjt  have  been  a 
most  imposing  spectacle,  but  Pio  Nono  loved  pomp 
and  splendor,  while  if  Pio  Decimo,  who  loves  sim- 
plicity above  all  things,  really  leaves  the  Vatican,  I 
dare  say  he  will  go  out  with  but  little  more  pomp 
than  the  Cardinals  of  the  present  day,  whom  one 
meets  often  in  the  Villa  Borghese,  quietly  taking  their 
afternoon  walk  with  their  footman  walking  at  a  re- 
spectful distance  behind,  and  their  elegant  but  quiet 
looking  coupe  or  landau  following,  ready  at  any  time 
when  "  His  Eminence  "  is  tired.  One  recognizes 
their  rank  from  the  small  red  silken  cords  about  their 
hats,  and  the  red  tassels  which  hang  over  the  edge. 

It  has  been  said  that  Pius  X  is  not  as  great  a  dip- 
lomat as  Leo  XIII,  but  from  all  one  can  learn, 
he  has  quite  as  much  diplomacy  as  the  late  Pope, 
only  he  goes  about  accomplishing  his  ends  in  a  rather 
different  way. 

I  do  hope  we  may  be  presented^to  him  privately, 
since  now  that  we  have  seen  him  in  all  his  glory   I 

[93] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

should  like  to  see  him  at  close  range  and  talk  with 
him. 

The  one  idea  of  everybody  in  St.  Peter's  after  the 
Pope  had  been  carried  out,  was  to  get  out  also.  St. 
Peter's  is  a  very  big  place,  as  you  know,  but  the  crowd 
that  day  was  big  enough  to  fill  it,  and  make  the  most 
awful  jam  that  I  ever  had  the  misfortune  to  get  into. 
We  were  pushed  and  hustled  hither  and  yon,  so 
that  it  was  a  good  three-quarters  of  an  hour  before 
we  really  found  our  coachman. 

I  had  supposed  I  ought  to  dress  very  warmly  as  I 
was  to  stay  so  long  in  a  stone  church,  but  I  was  all 
wrong.  St.  Peter's  has  a  climate  of  its  own.  It  is 
warm  in  winter  and  cool  in  summer  ;  in  fact,  it  is  so 
vast  that  the  temperature  varies  but  little  all  the  year 
round.  I  was  "  simply  roasting  "  when  I  left  the 
church,  and  came  near  catching  a  very  bad  cold  from 
the  sudden  chill  that  I  got  when  I  came  out  into  the 
cool,  fresh  afternoon  air. 

Well,  our  stay  ought  to  be  delightful,  which  has 
started  with  the  Papal  blessing.  I  have  already  writ- 
ten to  R.  telling  him  that  I  want  to  be  presented  to 
the  Pope  privately,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  will  ar- 
range for  it  in  due  time. 


[94] 


XI 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

A    PRESENTATION    TO    HIS    HOLINESS 

Rome,  Italy,  January  lo,  1905 
My  dear  M.: 

^  S  I  expected,  R.  arranged  for  our  special 
/  %  presentation  to  the  Pope.  One  does  not 
jL  ^L,  have  very  much  notice  when  these  presen- 
tations are  to  take  place,  as  His  Holiness  does  not 
always  announce  just  what  he  is  going  to  do  long  be- 
forehand. However,  our  cards  arrived  in  ample 
time,  and  read  for  "  Signor  F.  Batcheller  and  his 
consort " ;  the  directions  for  the  proper  costume  were 
all  plainly  indicated  on  them.  I  wore  my  black  vel- 
vet with  the  long  lace  veil,  which  I  had  worn  at  the 
beatification,  only  this  time  I  sent  for  a  hair  dresser 
to  arrange  the  veil,  as  I  wished,  of  course,  to  look 
my  very  best.  F.  B.  wore  his  evening  clothes, 
though  the  hour  of  presentation  was  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  We  left  the  hotel  some  little  time 
before,  as  we  did  not  wish  to  be  a  moment  late. 
I  was  told  that  I  should  wear  a  good  many  jewels, 

[95] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

but  a  jeweled  pin  to  hold  my  veil  in  place,  and  my 
strings  of  pearls,  I  thought  quite  enough. 

We  drove  across  the  famous  square  of  St.  Peter's, 
passed  under  the  porch  at  the  left,  and  through  a 
beautiful  court.  Here  the  Pope's  soldiers,  in  steel 
blue  coats  w^ith  scarlet  trimmings,  bade  us  pass  on, 
and  we  drove  into  the  famous  Cortile  San  Damaso, 
so  called  from  the  fountain  erected  here  by  Innocent 
X.  It  is  the  finest  court  of  the  Vatican,  surrounded 
by  the  beautiful  Logge  of  Bramante  that  we  had  read 
about,  so  we  were  very  glad  to  see  them.  We 
stopped  before  a  door  at  the  left  side  of  the  court, 
where  an  officer  in  another  sort  of  uniform,  less  gay, 
but  equally  mediaeval-looking,  ushered  us  from  our 
carriage  to  an  elevator.  As  we  left  the  elevator,  we 
passed  through  the  famous  Gallery  of  the  Geograph- 
ical Maps,  built  by  Gregory  XIII,  and  beautifully 
adorned  with  historical  frescoes.  It  was  formerly 
open  on  one  side,  but  of  late,  it  has  been  enclosed  in 
glass.  We  had  no  time  to  examine  these  wonderful 
old  maps,  for,  at  the  end  of  the  corridor,  a  door  was 
opened  for  us,  and  we  were  asked  to  pass  through  a 
large  room  where  several  of  the  Swiss  Guard  were 
stationed.  The  uniforms  of  this  guard  are  so  start- 
ling in  their  brilliancy  of  bright  red  and  yellow,  and 
the  brass    helmets   and   mediaeval  spears    so   fearful 

[96] 


MRS.  FRANCIS  BATCHELLER 

AS    PRESENTED    TO    HIS    HOLINESS    THE    POPE 


OOPYRIGHT,  190;,   Br  TKVPHOSA  BATES  BATCHELLE* 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

looking,  that  they  inspired  me  with  tremendous  re- 
spect, if  not  actual  awe. 

We  had  only  a  few  moments  to  admire  the  beau- 
tiful paintings  and  frescoes  in  this  room,  for  we  were 
quickly  shown  into  another,  where  a  very  tall,  fine- 
looking  man  with  gray  hair,  clad  in  a  swallow-tail 
coat  and  a  much  "  bepleated-bosomed  "  shirt,  exam- 
ined our  cards  of  entrance  with  great  care,  looking 
us  over  from  head  to  foot  to  make  sure  that  we  were 
all  in  black  and  wore  no  gloves,  which  is  forbidden 
in  the  presence  of  His  Holiness.  He  politely  indi- 
cated the  place  where  we  were  to  leave  our  wraps, 
and  then  a  gorgeous  individual  in  red  brocade  opened 
a  door  and  asked  us  to  enter. 

Our  new  escort  wore  knee  breeches  tied  at  the 
knee,  and  crimson  leather  slippers,  while  streamers  of 
brocaded  velvet  hung  from  each  shoulder,  so  that  al- 
together he  presented  a  most  royal  appearance.  He 
may  have  been  one  of  the  twelve  men  who  carried 
the  Pope  on  the  day  of  the  beatification,  at  least  he 
was  dressed  exactly  as  they  were.  He  conducted 
us  to  a  room  hung  with  the  most  beautiful  Gobelin 
tapestries,  where  three  crimson-brocaded  officials  like 
himself  were  awaiting  us.  He  asked  us  to  be  seated, 
and  was  very  polite  in  answering  the  few  questions 
which  I  asked  him.     As  we  waited,  we  had  time  to 

[97] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

examine  this  beautiful  suite  of  rooms.  The  tapestries 
are  truly  wonderful,  representing  mythological 
scenes,  and  their  colors  are  those  soft  shades  which 
only  age  can  give. 

We  did  not  wait  long  before  one  of  the  officials 
told  us  that  His  Holiness  was  coming,  and  asked  us 
to  kneel.  I  had  seen  the  sweet,  kind  face  when  His 
Holiness  was  carried  in  his  golden  chair  through  St. 
Peter's,  and  I  was  quite  willing  to  kneel  to  so  good 
a  man,  as  all  unite  in  calling  him,  but  almost  before 
I  realized  it,  the  Pope,  one  of  the  greatest  men  in 
the  world,  stood  before  me  and  was  speaking  to  me. 

When  one  stops  to  consider  all  that  he  represents, 
all  the  power  that  he  holds  so  undeniably  throughout 
the  world,  one  marvels  at  the  sweet  simplicity  of  the 
man  himself,  who  is  the  embodiment  of  Roman 
Catholicism  in  all  the  countries  of  the  earth.  He 
was  clothed  in  white  broadcloth,  wore  scarlet  slip- 
pers embroidered  in  gold,  and  on  his  head  a  small 
silken  cap,  also  of  scarlet. 

He  extended  his  right  hand  for  me  to  kiss  his  fa- 
mous ring,  and  as  I  did  so,  he  asked,  "  Are  you  an 
American  ?  "  "  Yes,  Your  Holiness,  and  I  come  from 
Boston,  where  I  have  tried  to  help  the  Italian  immi- 
grants who  come  to  us,"  I  said.  He  seemed  much 
pleased,  and  I  told  him  about  the  work  that  the  Ital- 

[98] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

ian  Societies  to  which  I  belong  in  Boston  had  done 
toward  helping  and  instructing  the  poor  Italians  who 
have  come  to  us.  He  raised  his  hand  above  my  head, 
saying,  "  God  bless  you  for  this  charity  to  our  poor, 
and  may  they  always  merit  it.'*  I  was  told  after- 
ward that  Pius  X  never  says  "  I  bless  you,"  as 
many  Popes  have  previously  done,  but  always  asks 
the  Deity  to  give  His  blessing. 

After  speaking  with  F.  B.  and  giving  him  his  bless- 
ing, he  turned  to  go,  followed  by  his  devoted  secre- 
tary, but  as  he  stood  in  the  doorway,  he  gave  us  the 
Papal  blessing  again  in  Latin.  He  had  been  so  sweet, 
so  simple,  so  really  great  through  it  all,  that  I  was 
reminded  of  Ruskin's  words:  "An  infinitude  of  ten- 
derness is  the  chief  gift  and  inheritance  of  all  truly 
great  men." 

We  were  politely  ushered  from  the  room.  We 
felt  very  sober,  yet  much  gratified  at  our  experience. 
When  we  were  descending  the  stairs,  one  of  the  offi- 
cials came  to  me  and  asked  me  to  go  to  the  Secretary's 
office,  at  the  same  time  directing  me  just  where  to 
go.  I  did  not  know  quite  what  was  to  happen,  but 
once  there,  I  was  told  that,  if  I  would  leave  my 
address,  a  photograph  of  His  Holiness  with  the 
autograph  and  written  blessing  of  Sua  Santita 
(His   Holiness)  would  be   sent  me.      I   did  so,  of 

[99] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

course,  and  I  am  very  proud  of  the  beautiful  pic- 
ture, upon  which  His  HoUness  has  inscribed  his  Pa- 
pal blessing  and  his  famous  autograph. 

One  of  my  "Black'*  friends  tells  me  that  the  Pope 
is  a  very  fine  pianist,  and  spends  much  time  playing 
his  favorite  instrument,  his  two  Venetian  secretaries 
serving  as  an  audience.  A  few  days  ago  a  famous 
trio  of  musicians,  violin,  viola  and  cello  (I  forget 
their  names)  were  summoned  to  play  before  His  Ho- 
liness at  the  Vatican.  This  was  a  great  innovation 
on  the  usual  order  of  things,  but  Pius  X  intends 
to  have  an  order  of  his  own  ;  anyhow,  he  is  so  much 
beloved,  and  the  people  have  so  much  confidence  in 
his  goodness,  that  he  can  do  exactly  as  he  pleases, 
not  as  the  cardinals  please,  an  entirely  different 
attitude  from  that  of  former  Popes.  It  seems 
strange,  when  the  Pope  is  so  fond  of  music, 
that  he  has  decided  to  restrict  the  music  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  churches  throughout  the  world  to  the 
old  seventh-century  Gregorian  chants,  with  their  se- 
vere eight  modes.  He  also  makes  the  restriction 
that  they  shall  be  sung  only  by  men,  and  this  has 
been  a  fearful  blow  to  many  of  the  women  singers 
everywhere,  who  have  been  able  hitherto  to  earn 
a  very  comfortable  living  by  singing  in  Roman 
Catholic  churches,  where  they  always  were  well  paid. 

[lOO] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

I  am  told  that  this  order  of  restriction  has  met  with 
fierce  opposition,  and  that  it  is  not  being  closely 
followed  in  many  parts  of  the  world ;  I  think  in  time 
this  sentence  against  the  women  singers  will  be  mit- 
igated,— I  surely  hope  so,  it  has  brought  about  so 
much  suffering,  and  that  is  the  last  thing  that  good, 
kind  Pius  X  has  the  intention  of  doing. 


[lOl] 


XII 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  January  15,   1905 
My  dear  M.  : 

THIS  morning  I  had  a  good  sing,  and  then 
went  out  to  walk  in  the  gardens  of  the  Villa 
Borghese,  or  Villa  Umberto  I,  as  it  is  now 
called.  The  park  and  gardens  formerly  belonged  to 
the  Cenci  family,  but  after  the  execution  of  Beatrice 
and  her  brother  by  Pope  Clement  VIII,  the  property 
was  confiscated  by  the  church,  and  Paul  V,  the  Bor- 
ghese Pope,  gave  it  to  his  relatives.  In  the  real  estate 
panic  a  few  years  ago  here  in  Rome,  the  Bor- 
ghese family  lost  much  of  their  great  fortune,  and 
the  government  bought  the  villa  and  gardens  which 
now  form  a  public  park. 

Numbers  of  Italian  officers  were  trying  English 
hunters  on  the  race  track  that  is  now  used  as  a  sort  of 
bridle  path.  Some  of  the  horses  took  the  jumps 
very  prettily,  but  others  were  rather  ugly.  The 
Italian  uniforms  are  very  stunning,  and  the  officers 
always  look  as  if  they  had  just  stepped  out  of  a  band- 
box, though  how  it  is  possible,  I  don*t  see,  for  their 

[102] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

capes  are  often  of  the  lightest  cadet-blue  cloth  that 
soils  very  easily.  Even  their  white  gloves  are  always 
just  so  clean ;  they  certainly  set  the  soldiers  a  fine 
example,  for  besides  their  fine  uniforms  they  are 
nearly  all  very  well  "  set  up." 

We  are  looking  forward  to  going  to  the  hunts 
here,  not  to  follow — put  your  dear,  anxious  mind  at 
rest — but  to  look  on.  These  meets  are  quite  a 
feature  here,  and  beside  the  gentlemen  who  ride,  a 
great  many  of  the  officers  enjoy  hunting  immensely, 
and  I  should  think,  with  the  Campagna  for  a  setting, 
they  might  make  a  very  pretty  picture. 

Mrs.  Morris  came  over  for  tea  the  other  afternoon, 
and  she  too  is  anxious  to  go  to  one  of  these  meets,  so 
perhaps  we  shall  arrange  to  go  together. 

To-day  F.  B.  and  I  went  out  for  a  drive ;  I  wanted 
to  see  the  lovely  Tortoise  fountain  again,  Fontana 
delle  Tartarughe,  as  it  is  called.  So  we  drove  around 
by  it,  and  then  on  through  Rome,  out  the  Via  Appia 
to  the  church  of  San  Sebastiano,  where  we  were 
shown  in  a  side  chapel  what  is  said  to  be  a  footprint 
of  Christ  on  stone. 

We  drove  on  past  the  picturesque  tomb  of  Caecilia 
Metella,  wife  of  Cassar's  legate  in  Gaul,  that  stands  out 
so  boldly  in  the  Campagna.  It  was  made  a  fortified 
stronghold  by  the  powerful  Caetani  family  in  1300, 

[103] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  it  must  have  been  a  fine  vantage-point  for  de- 
fence. All  around  are  ruins  that  originally  formed 
part  of  a  palace  and  church.  The  aqueducts  are  par- 
ticularly picturesque  on  this  drive,  and  the  aqueduct 
of  the  old  time  Aqua  Claudia  is  used  to-day  to  carry 
what  is  now  called  the  Acqua  Felice  to  Rome. 

I  am  improving  in  my  Italian,  at  least,  I  am  work- 
ing constantly  to  do  so,  and  a  nice  young  Italian  lady 
comes  three  afternoons  a  week  and  talks  with  me  ;  I 
write  English  into  Italian,  which  is  really  the  greatest 
help.  Of  course  my  teacher  speaks  English,  and 
understands  its  construction,  so  that  she  can  give  me 
Italian  idioms  for  our  English  idioms,  and  make  any 
knotty  point  clear.  I  think  what  they  say  here  is 
true,  "  La  lingua  Toscana  in  bocca  Romana,  (The 
Tuscan  language  in  a  Roman  mouth),"  for  the 
Romans  speak  delightfully. 

Well,  dear,  I  must  stop.  Give  my  love  to  all  the 
friends  at  home  and  for  yourself,  I  say  : 

**  Se  il  mare  fii  inchiostro 
E  il  cielo  un  foglio 
Non  basterebbe  per  dirti 
Tutto  il  ben  che  ti  voglio.*' 

"  If  the  sea  were  an  inkwell 
And  the  heavens  a  page 
E'en  then  how  I  love  thee 
I  could  not  e  'en  tell." 

[104] 


XIII 

To  T.  C.  B. 

Rome,  January  20,  1905 
My  dear  P. : 

THIS  has  been  a  rather  quiet  day,  though  we 
are  going  out  this  evening. 
This  morning  F.  B.  and  I  went  for  a  nice 
walk  on  the  Pincio  after  I  finished  singing.  The 
Villa  Medici,  which  is  situated  just  at  the  entrance 
of  the  park,  is  now  used  for  the  French  Academy  of 
Fine  Arts  here,  and  Carolus  Durand  has  just  been 
appointed  the  director  by  the  French  Government. 
This  afternoon  we  have  been  for  a  nice  drive. 
F.  B.  had  never  been  to  St.  John's  in  Laterano, 
nor  seen  the  Scala  Santa,  so  we  drove  directly  to  the 
Piazza  di  San  Giovanni  in  Laterano.  The  church 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  Rome,  was  once 
connected  with  a  palace  presented  by  the  Emperor 
Constantine  to  Pope  Sylvester  I,  and  was  for  some 
years  the  principal  church  in  Rome.  It  has  had  all 
sorts  of  things  happen  to  it ;  an  earthquake  has  de- 
stroyed it  once,  fire  twice,  and  it  came  to  its  present 

['°S] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

form  in  i  875.  One  of  the  five  entrances,  the  Porta 
Santa,  is  walled  up,  and  opened  only  in  the  Papal  ju- 
bilee years.  The  principal  fa9ade  has  a  very  grand 
portico  from  w^hich  the  Popes  used  to  pronounce 
a  benediction  on  Ascension  day,  and  there  is  another 
portico  on  the  south  side. 

After  giving  some  pennies  to  a  poor  old  man  at 
the  door,  which  I  suppose  was  not  at  all  the  right 
thing  to  do,  but  he  looked  so  miserable  that  my 
feelings  got  the  better  of  my  judgment,  we  went  in- 
side. The  church  is  supposed  to  contain  several 
very  holy  relics,  the  heads  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, 
and  a  wooden  table  taken  from  the  Catacombs,  which 
is  said  to  have  been  used  by  St.  Peter  as  an  altar. 
Near  one  of  the  pillars  to  the  right,  we  found  a  statue 
of  that  wonderful  old  Pope,  Boniface  VIII,  repre- 
sented between  two  cardinals  proclaiming  the  first 
jubilee  in  1300.  Think  of  the  money  that  poured 
into  Rome  that  year !  I  wonder  how  it  was  all 
used — in  churches  perhaps,  there  are  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  in  Rome  alone. 

The  chapel  of  the  great  Torlonia  family  is  in  this 
church,  and  is  very  richly  decorated  with  marbles 
and  much  fine  gilding. 

After  walking  about  the  church  enjoying  the  mo- 
saics,  marbles   and  paintings,   we   went  to  see   the 

[106] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

cloisters  that  are  noted  for  their  beautiful  inlaid  col- 
umns. The  monastery  was  founded  in  the  sixth 
century,  by  Benedictine  monks,  who  came  here  from 
Monte  Cassino  that  we  saw  on  the  way  from  Naples. 
We  had  a  look  at  the  sculptures  in  the  Palazzo 
del  Laterano,  now  given  the  long  name  of  Museum 
Gregorianum  Lateranense,  but  the  day  was  so  fine 
that  we  could  not  make  up  our  minds  to  stay  all  the 
afternoon  indoors,  besides,  these  places  are  fearfully 
cold,  and  we  have  to  bundle  up  tremendously  to  go 
in  at  all,  so  we  mean  to  come  to  this  museum 
another  day.  But  before  continuing  our  drive,  we 
walked  over  to  the  building,  once  a  part  of  the  Late- 
rano palace,  that  contains  the  Scala  Santa,  supposed 
to  be  the  marble  steps  which  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ, 
ascended.  They  were  brought  to  Rome  in  326  A.  D., 
by  the  Empress  Helena  ;  no  one  can  go  up  except 
on  their  knees,  and  a  prayer  must  be  said  on  each 
step.  There  are  other  stairs  arranged  at  one  side  for 
coming  down.  At  the  top  of  the  steps  is  the  chapel 
of  Sancta  Sanctorum,  which  is  all  that  is  left  of  the 
old  Laterano  palace,  and  was  formerly  the  private 
chapel  of  the  Popes.  It  contains  a  picture  said  to 
be  painted  by  St.  Luke.  Several  devout  monks  and 
nuns,  as  well  as  peasant  women,  were  going  up,  stair 
by  stair,  on  their  knees,  patiently  telling  their  beads. 

[107] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

I  suppose  they  were  much  happier  for  their  prayer, 
whether  or  not  the  stairs  are  genuine. 

When  we  left  here,  we  drove  out  through  the 
Porta  San  Giovanni  into  the  Campagna  for  a  short 
distance.  We  saw  the  amphitheatre  Castrense, 
which  is  the  only  structure  of  the  kind  in  Rome, 
except  the  Colosseum. 

Here  come  some  cards — dear  Mrs.  Warren  and 
Countess  T. — Au  Revoir.  Pardon  abruptness. 


[io8] 


XIV 
To  T.  C.  B. 

Rome,  January  24,   1905 

My  dearest  P.; 

WE  have  just  come  in  from  a  very  pleasant 
reception   given    by    Mrs.    Norton    this 
afternoon  at  her  attractive  villa  in  the  Via 
Vicenza. 

Mr.  Norton  is,  as  you  know,  the  son  of  Prof. 
Norton  of  Harvard  University,  and  is  at  the  head  of 
the  American  School  here  in  Rome.  Recently, 
Harvard,  Yale  and  Johns  Hopkins  have  each  given 
$100,000.00  to  this  school,  and  it  is  doing  splendid 
work.  We  met  numbers  of  Americans  we  knew. 
Mrs.  Morton  Dexter  and  her  daughters  are  here  for 
the  winter  with  Miss  Carow,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Roose- 
velt. It  seemed  so  nice  to  see  some  Boston  friends, 
and  I  was  glad  to  know  Miss  Carow,  who  is,  like 
her  sister,  a  most  charming  person.  She  is  a  great 
friend  of  dear  Mrs.  Lodge,  and  has  promised  to  lend 
me  young  Mr.  Lodge's  new  book   to  read.     I  also 

[109] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

met  Prof,  and  Mrs.  Carter  of  Princeton,  and  there 
were  numerous  other  friends. 

Mrs.  Minton  Warren,  whose  husband  was  formerly 
at  the  head  of  the  school,  went  with  us  this  afternoon, 
and  made  everything  lovely  for  us,  presenting  us  to 
numbers  of  her  friends,  who  are  legion  in  Rome,  as 
everywhere.  Before  going  to  the  reception,  which 
was  late,  we  took  a  drive  in  the  grounds  of  the 
beautiful  Villa  Doria,  where  people  in  two-horse 
carriages  are  allowed  to  drive  on  Tuesday  and 
Friday  afternoons. 

Throughout  the  drive  around  these  fairy  grounds, 
one  beautiful  view  after  another  meets  the  eye ;  now 
a  herd  of  wild  deer,  some  clear  white,  others  brown, 
in  the  small  ravine  at  one  end  of  the  garden  ;  now, 
an  imposing  view  of  St.  Peter's  and  the  Vatican, 
with  Monte  Mario  in  the  distance ;  and,  at  a  turn 
of  the  road,  we  come  upon  a  pretty  pond,  where 
graceful  swans  are  gliding  up  and  down.  Here  and 
there  are  wonderful  old  marbles  taken  from  ancient 
sarcophagi ;  in  a  green  field  to  one  side  is  an  ancient 
stone  altar,  and  at  another  turn  we  have  a  lovely 
view  of  the  Alban  Mountains.  It  is  like  an  en- 
chanted castle,  and  quite  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
famous  Italian  villas  and  gardens. 

I   am    looking  forward  to   meeting    the  Princess 

[no] 


U- 


§ 

< 

o 

Q 
2 

o 

Q 
< 


X 
H 


.ag    th 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Doria,  who  is  a  great  friend  of  the  Princess  Venosa 
and  a  charming  Englishwoman,  so  every  one  says, 
a  sister  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle. 

To-morrow  we  are  going  to  an  afternoon  recep- 
tion at  our  Embassy.  The  Meyers  have  an  apart- 
ment in  the  Brancaccio  palace  that  is  very  well 
adapted  for  an  Embassy.  They  like  Rome  very 
much,  and  give  a  great  many  balls  and  dinners.  I 
hope  we  are  in  time  for  the  balls,  for  F.  B.  and  I 
enjoy  dancing  so  much,  and  I  work  so  constantly  at 
my  music  that  I  think  it  is  eminently  good  for  me 
to  be  frivolous  at  times. 

By  the  way,  the  American  School  of  Painting  and 
Sculpture  has  bought  the  lovely  Villa  Miraiiori  for 
its  permanent  establishment  here.  Isn't  that  fine! 
I  believe  that  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Walters  of 
Baltimore,  who  has  done  so  much  for  art,  as  well  as 
that  of  Mr.  Morgan  and  some  of  the  Vanderbilts,  has 
made  this  possible,  and  all  the  Americans  are  re- 
joicing. 


[Ill] 


XV 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  January    28,  1905 
My  dear  M,X 

WE  begin  to  feel  quite  at  home  in  our  snug 
apartment  at  this  nice  hotel.  The  rooms 
are  really  very  pretty,  having  been  fitted 
up  by  an  American  lady,  who  spent  several  winters 
in  them,  a  year  or  two  ago.  F.  B.  comes  in  every 
morning  when  I  am  singing  with  Bustini  or 
Sgambati  to  hear  some  of  the  songs,  and  brings  me 
the  results  of  his  morning  walk.  He  has  already 
mastered  sufficient  Italian  to  buy  flowers  from  the 
pretty  girls  in  the  Piazza,  and  my  rooms  are  a  perfect 
bower  every  day.  In  the  parlor  there  is  a  long  pier 
glass  with  a  place  arranged  at  the  bottom  for  ferns 
or  plants,  and  there  are  also  shelves  on  a  part  of 
the  frame  where  vases  of  flowers  are  most  effective. 
The  first  morning  that  F.  B.  bought  his  flowers, 
he  waited  outside  our  door  until  I  had  finished  sing- 
ing a  song  of  Bustini's,  which  Bustini  himself  was 
going  over  with  me.     Mrs.  M.  and  some  friends  had 

[112] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

asked  to  come  over  to  hear  me  sing,  so  that  when  I 
finished,  and  they  applauded,  F.  B.  opened  the  door 
and  filled  my  arms  with  flowers.  We  all  laughed, 
and  Bustini  exclaimed  "The  real  American  hus- 
band !  "  Unfortunately,  the  poor  flowers  had  to  be 
soon  banished,  as  they  were  all  of  overpowering  frag- 
rance, and  I  never  can  have  that  sort  about  when  I  am 
singing.  However,  there  are  numerous  others  that  are 
quite  as  beautiful,  and  as  I  write,  I  can  count  bunches 
of  jonquilles,  vases  of  stately  callas,  graceful  mimosa 
and  many  others  too  numerous  to  mention.  Italy  is 
surely  a  land  of  sunshine  and  flowers.  Not  a  drop 
of  rain  have  we  seen  since  we  arrived.  One  beautiful 
day  follows  another,  and  we  do  so  enjoy  our  long 
walk  every  morning  in  the  gardens  of  the  Villa  Bor- 
ghese.  The  air  is  cold,  but  the  trees  and  lawns  are 
as  green  as  in  summer. 

I  find  that  it  is  best  not  to  go  down  into  the 
Piazza  until  ten  o'clock  or  half-past,  as  it  is  quite 
damp  in  the  early  morning,  and  the  moist  air  is  apt 
to  make  one  hoarse.  I  also  find  that  kind  Mrs. 
Howe's  precautions  as  to  health  were  most  wise  and 
correct.  The  thermometer  conveys  nothing  to  me, 
because  it  rarely  registers  freezing,  although  Bernini's 
Tritone  fountain  in  our  Piazza  did  freeze  solid  one 
morning — the  first  time  in  years  our  landlord  assured 

["3] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

us.  Yet  I  invariably  need  the  thickest  winter  clothes 
that  I  possess.  I  do  not  walk  in  furs,  of  course,  but 
always  have  a  fur  cape  over  my  arm,  so  that  if  I  do 
leave  the  park,  and  go  from  the  sun  into  the  shade 
down  any  of  the  narrow  streets,  I  can  immediately  be 
warm  enough. 

I  should  think  all  the  old  inhabitants  of  Italy 
would  have  worshipped  the  sun,  for  you  seem  to  be 
perfectly  safe  so  long  as  you  are  in  the  sunshine,  but 
the  moment  you  leave  it,  you  seem  in  danger  of 
catching  cold,  fevers  and  other  unpleasant  things. 
One  would  not  believe  it  possible  that  two  sides  of  the 
street  could  have  such  different  temperatures.  You 
fancy  yourself  in  a  balmy,  beautiful  climate  on  the 
one  side,  and  in  the  coldest  place  you  have  ever 
known,  when  you  cross  over  to  the  other.  I  no 
more  think  of  going  out  without  an  extra  wrap,  than 
I  would  think  of  going  out  without  my  hat,  and  I 
almost  invariably  take  a  raw  egg  or  a  glass  of  milk 
before  my  morning  walk,  as  it  is  very  bad  to  make 
any  exertions  in  this  climate  on  an  empty  stomach. 

After  luncheon,  as  all  the  people  here  seem  to  think 
it  is  the  proper  thing  to  do,  I  take  a  siesta.  A  lady 
told  me  yesterday  that  it  was  impossible  for  a  for- 
eigner to  do  as  much  in  Rome  as  in  many  other 
places.     But  as  there  is  more  to  see  here  than  in  any 

[ih] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

other  place  in  the  world,  and  many  people  come  here 
to  stay  but  a  short  time,  they  are  anxious  to  see  as 
much  as  possible  ;  so  they  run  great  risks,  get  very 
much  over-tired,  expose  themselves  in  ways  which 
even  the  natives  would  never  dream  of  doing,  eat  any- 
thing that  comes  on  the  table  d'hote,  get  very  ill  and 
announce  to  the  world  that  Rome  is  unhealthy.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  figures  show  that  Rome  is  the  second 
healthiest  city  in  Europe,  London  coming  first.  A 
charming  Italian  woman  once  said  to  me,  "  So  many 
people  say  that  our  Rome  is  unhealthy,  but  I  think 
all  climates  have  their  necessary  rules,  and  when  the 
climate  of  Rome  is  understood,  and  one  lives  as  one 
should,  I  believe  there  is  no  healthier  place  than  this," 
and  she  is  right. 

In  paying  our  visits  in  the  afternoon,  we  almost 
invariably  take  a  closed  carriage  if  we  know  we  are  to 
be  out  after  four  o'clock,  or  whenever  the  sunset  hour 
occurs.  It  simply  does  not  do  to  be  out  at  sunset  in 
Italy.  The  sun  is  so  powerful  that  when  its  heat  is 
withdrawn,  the  atmospheric  change  is  tremendous, 
and  the  dew  is  very  heavy,  so  we  make  it  a  point 
to  be  either  in  a  closed  carriage  or  indoors  at  that 
time.  I  tried  staying  out  once  or  twice,  but  caught 
cold  each  time,  so  I  know  better  now.  There  is  a 
saying,  "  A  cold  is  the  root  of  all  evils  in  Rome," 

[I'S] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  I  believe  it.  Many  of  the  natives,  however,  do 
not  mind  being  out  at  sunset  at  all,  and  the  concerts 
on  the  Pincio  given  by  different  regimental  bands, 
usually  begin  about  four  o'clock,  but  as  I  have  to 
make  music  myself,  it  is  more  important  for  me  to 
keep  my  instrument  in  condition  than  to  listen  to 
others,  so  we  are  waiting  until  later  in  the  season  to 
enjoy  this  really  excellent  band  music.  People  drive 
after  three  o'clock ;  first  on  the  Pincio,  and  later  in 
the  Corso.  It  is  very  amusing  of  a  beautiful  afternoon 
to  drive  up  the  Corso  about  six  o'clock,  and  see  all 
fashionable  Rome  moving  slowly  up  and  down,  every- 
one nodding  and  smiling  pleasantly  to  their  friends 
as  they  pass.  The  Corso  is  the  "  Rotten  Row  "  of 
Rome.  The  Italians  have  beautiful  horses  and  turn- 
outs, and  look  very  attractive  in  their  jewels  and  furs. 
Yesterday  the  King  passed  by  driving  a  fine  pair 
in  a  handsome  "  spider."  One  of  his  gentlemen-in- 
waiting  was  with  him,  and  his  four  bicycle  out- 
riders rode  in  front  of  and  beside  the  carriage.  These 
bicyclists  always  attend  His  Majesty  whenever  he 
drives  out.  The  King  bowed  pleasantly  right  and 
left,  but  as  it  is  a  very  usual  thing  for  him  to  drive  in 
this  way,  no  particular  demonstration  was  made, 
though  the  glances  were  most  friendly,  for  everyone 
knows  that  the  King  is  universally  beloved. 

[1.6] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

You  will  be  relieved,  I  know,  when  I  tell  you 
that  our  rooms  are  well  warmed.  In  our  bedroom 
we  have  a  large  steam  radiator,  at  least  it  is  large  for 
over  here.  I  am  afraid,  on  thinking  of  your  idea 
of  radiators,  perhaps  it  might  seem  rather  diminu- 
tive to  you,  but  besides,  there  is  a  large,  cheerful 
fireplace,  that  Buon  Giorno  (good  morning)  takes 
care  of  faithfully,  though  he  insists  that  our  rooms 
are  too  warm  for  health.  F.  B.  has  christened 
him  Buon  Giorno  because  he  always  says  this  "on 
sight."  Poor  Buon  Giorno  !  He  comes  into  Rome 
in  winter  to  work,  leaving  his  family  in  a  little 
town  three  hours  distance  by  the  railway,  and  six 
months  often  pass  when  he  cannot  hope  to  see  his 
wife  and  children.  He  is  an  honest,  cheerful  man  ; 
in  fact  all  the  Italians  seem  to  be  honest,  and  in 
spite  of  everything,  cheerful.  Scarcely  anyone  in 
the  hotel  locks  his  door.  You  remember  when  you 
left  your  silk  bag  in  Turin,  the  proprietor  of  the 
hotel  sent  it  on  to  you  without  so  much  as  touch- 
ing a  thing  in  it. 

F.  B.  found  some  grape-nuts  in  an  English- 
American  grocery  on  the  Piazza,  and  he  was  surprised 
to  find  he  could  get  many  American  groceries  here. 
I  think  Mr.  Sebasti,  the  banker,  told  him  where  to 
go,  as  he  tells  all  travellers  in  want  of  information 

["7] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

just  what  to  do  and  where  to  go  for  everything.  His 
bank,  where  many  of  the  foreigners  draw  their  money, 
is  also  on  the  Piazza  di  Spagna,  so  while  people  are 
waiting  for  their  bank  notes,  they  learn  what  to  do  and 
how  to  do  it  from  the  banker.  Signor  Sebasti  has  lived 
in  Rome  all  his  life,  although  he  has  been  in  America, 
and  is  thoroughly  used  to  Americans  and  their  ways. 

One  of  the  beautiful  drives  that  we  often  take  in 
the  early  afternoon  is  up  to  the  Gianicolo  Hill. 
We  have  a  magnificent  view  from  the  large  square 
where  the  statue  of  Garibaldi  is  placed ;  Gallori,  a 
friend  of  R.'s,  was  the  sculptor — and  it  really  is  a 
wonderful  piece  of  work,  so  cleverly  placed,  too,  for 
the  great  man  seems  to  have  one  eye  on  his  beloved 
Rome  and  the  other  on  the  Vatican.  From  this  hill 
we  have  a  very  good  view  of  the  Vatican  Gardens, 
and  as  we  go  down  the  other  side  of  the  hill,  we 
pass  the  celebrated  Mme.  Helbig's  Villa  Lante, 
where  one  of  the  Pope's  secretaries  lived  several 
hundred  years  ago ;  it  is  now  the  only  villa  on  the 
Gianicolo. 

We  went  to  call  upon  the  great  lady  the  other 
day  with  the  daughter  of  Mrs.  Warren,  who  is  stay- 
ing for  a  short  time  in  Rome.  Mme.  Helbig  is 
difficult  to  describe  in  a  few  words.  She  is  an  unu- 
sually talented,  delightful  woman,  who  does  an  im- 

[ii8] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

mense  amount  of  good,  and  who  endears  herself  to 
every  one  who  knows  her.  Before  her  marriage  she 
was  a  Russian  Princess,  but  she  gave  up  all  her  titles 
to  marry  the  man  of  her  choice,  who  is  a  distin- 
guished professor  in  the  University  of  Rome.  She 
cares  little  for  pomp  and  show,  and  her  life  is  mainly 
devoted  to  works  of  charity.  I  believe  she  entirely 
supports  a  children's  hospital,  and  devotes  much  of 
her  time  to  the  sick  children.  She  herself,  is  a  great 
sufferer  from  neuralgia,  but  one  never  hears  her  com- 
plain. She  is  always  bright,  cheerful  and  witty,  and 
when  she  sits  at  the  piano,  you  realize  that  she  is  a 
fine  artist  as  well  as  a  philanthropist.  Many  of  the 
great  composers  have  been  her  friends,  Wagner  and 
Liszt  especially,  and  I  certainly  hope  I  shall  have  the 
good  fortune  to  hear  her  play  often  while  we  are 
here.  She  greeted  me  charmingly,  introduced  me  to 
her  distinguished  son,  who,  like  his  father,  is  a  profes- 
sor in  the  University,  and  asked  me  to  sing  to  her.  As 
she  had  all  Mozart's  operas  at  her  hand  in  her  fine 
musical  library,  I  consented.  She  played  the  accom- 
paniment to  the  aria  from  the  "  Nozze  di  Figaro  " 
delightfully,  and  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  singing  in  her 
splendid,  big,  high  room.  My  voice  seemed  to  please 
her  very  much,  and  she  has  already  nick-named  me 
her  "  Paragon." 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Her  son  is  one  of  the  handsomest  men  I  remember 
to  have  seen,  very  tall,  extremely  well  built,  v^^ith 
a  brilliant  complexion  and  keen  "  Welsung "  blue 
eyes.  He  told  me  that  he  avoided  all  civilized 
capitals,  and  chooses  for  his  particular  stamping 
grounds.  Nova  Zembla,  Southern  and  Central  Africa. 
He  is  extremely  interesting  to  talk  to,  but  cares  little 
or  nothing  about  society,  though  his  position  neces- 
sitates his  going  about  more  or  less.  He  is  perfectly 
sweet  and  devoted  to  his  mother,  so  you  would  admire 
him  right  away.  He  has  recently  made  some 
wonderful  scientific  inventions,  which  everyone  says 
will  make  him  world-wide  famous.  The  other 
morning  he  asked  us  to  come  and  see  the  govern- 
ment balloon  ascension.  He  was  to  be  the  pilot,  and 
kindly  said  he  would  explain  everything  to  us.  We 
were  delighted  to  go,  and  it  was  very  interesting  to 
see  how  skilfully  and  scientifically  the  great  balloon 
was  handled,  how  easily  it  was  made  fast  to  the  basket, 
and  how  accurately  every  detail  was  attended  to.  I 
was  especially  interested  in  the  arrangements  for 
sending  messages  by  carrier-pigeons,  which  are  car- 
ried aloft  in  little  baskets  at  the  side  of  the  main 
car.  The  smallest  bits  of  the  thinnest  paper  are  care- 
fully placed  between  slides  of  aluminium.  On  these 
tiny  sheets,  with  the   aid  of  a  small  fairy  pen.  Prof. 

[120] 


<: 
►J 

oa 

u] 
N 

< 
> 

O 

z 


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ac 

H 

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fig 

O 

C/5 

IX, 

O 
oi 


Of  TUe 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Helbig  writes  a  message  to  his  anxious  mother,  the 
moment  he  is  on  terra  Jirma  once  more.  The  wee 
letter  is  rolled  closely,  and  tied  to  the  tail  feathers  of 
the  pigeon  that  never  rests  until  its  message  is  de- 
livered. As  the  great  balloon,  that  had  seemed  so 
huge  near  to,  silently  and  softly  floated  up,  up,  up 
into  the  blue  sky,  one  was  almost  hypnotized  by  the 
graceful  sailing  motion.  I  want  very  much  to 
make  an  ascension,  and  Signor  Filippi,  who  is 
President  of  the  Balloon  Society,  has  offered  to  have 
a  special  ascension  for  us  if  we  will  go.  Prof.  Helbig 
promises  to  be  the  pilot,  and  I  am  most  anxious  to 
try  it,  but  F.  B.  won't  hear  of  it. 

Mme.  Helbig  has  asked  us  to  stop  in  whenever 
we  drive  up  this  way,  and  as  we  enjoy  seeing  her  so 
much,  we  shall  surely  go  often.  Everyone  admires 
her  immensely,  and  I  hope  to  be  able  to  live  up  to 
the  new  nick-name. 

We  have  received  our  invitations  from  Her  Ma- 
jesty Queen  Elena  to  be  present  at  a  formal  recep- 
tion which  she  is  to  give  at  the  Quirinal  Palace,  so  of 
course,  we  are  eagerly  anticipating  Feb.  15th. 

I  simply  must  not  write  more  to-night,  but  I  hope 
to  have  great  good  things  to  tell  you  in  a  few  days. 


[121] 


XVI 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  January  31,  1905 

My  dear  M, : 

YESTERDAY  was  very  cold  and  windy,  and 
we  gave  up  all  thoughts  of  going  out  to 
the  Gardens  of  the  Knights  of  Malta ;  but 
in  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Warren  came  in,  and  wanted 
us  to  go  with  her  out  to  Elihu  Vedder's  studio.  F.  B., 
who  never  refuses  to  rise  to  the  bait  of  pictures,  as- 
sured me  I  should  not  take  cold,  if  I  went  in  a  closed 
carriage.  For  the  first  time  in  five  years,  there  is 
not  a  flower  in  the  Piazza  di  Spagna ;  the  Romans 
are  perishing  with  the  cold,  and  declare  that  the 
weather  is  most  unusual.  As  we  drove  past  the 
Spanish  steps  to-day,  everything  seemed  so  bare,  few 
people  were  in  the  streets,  and  the  usual  air  of  a 
"  freeze-up  '*  was  everywhere.  The  Vedders  live  in 
Rome  on  the  Via  Capo  le  Case,  but  the  studio  is 
quite  a  distance  out  on  the  Via  Flaminia,  and  is 
built  over  a  barn.  The  coachman  was  very  stupid 
about  finding  the  place ;   I   suppose   he  could   not 

[122] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

imagine  where  we  were  trying  to  go,  but  Mrs.  W. 
patiently  insisted  on  his  stopping  at  the  right  gate- 
way, and  then  she  piloted  us  in  and  around  an  old 
garden  (the  shrubs  are  still  green  in  spite  of  the 
cold),  up  a  flight  of  steps,  where  we  tugged  at  a  stray 
wire  outside  the  door.  Some  way,  somehow,  the  wire 
seemed  to  have  something  on  the  other  end,  because, 
although  we  heard  nothing,  Mrs.  Vedder  soon  opened 
the  door  and  welcomed  us.  Once  inside,  one  quite 
forgot  the  straggling  garden  and  stable  entrance. 

You  know  I  have  always  admired  Mr.  Vedder's 
wonderful  illustrations  of  the  Rubaiyat  of  Omar 
Khayyam,  and  the  work  that  he  did  for  the  Congres- 
sional Library  in  Washington,  so  of  course  I  was 
very  much  interested  in  seeing  his  studies  all  about 
the  studio.  The  picture  of  the  Pleiades,  to  me,  is 
one  of  the  most  attractive  things  Vedder  has  ever  done. 
The  figures  have  so  much  rhythm  and  motion,  and 
I  told  Mr.  Vedder  that  it  reminded  me  of  the  ceiling 
decoration  of  the  Opera  Comique  in  Paris,  where 
the  notes  of  the  musical  clef  are  represented  as  bells, 
each  in  the  hand  of  a  young  dancing  girl.  So  many 
of  Vedder's  works  have  such  an  Oriental  touch,  that 
I  am  sure  he  would  illustrate  Kipling  beautifully. 
When  I  particularly  admired  one  Oriental  figure,  he 
laughingly  told  me  that  he  had  never  been  in  the  f 

[123] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Orient,  though  he  owned  his  style  was  rather 
Oriental.  He  gets  beautiful  effects  in  black  and 
white,  and  I  have  arranged  to  carry  off  one  of  these 
gems. 

After  we  had  seen  all  the  pictures,  and  realized 
how  many  things  there  are  that  we  want  and  cannot 
have,  Mrs.  Vedder  made  us  all  quite  happy  again  with 
a  most  excellent  cup  of  tea  and  cakes.  She  said  this 
was  Salem  Day  for  the  Studio — it  was  odd,  the  An- 
drews, Rantouls,  and  other  Salem  people  were  there, 
and  Mrs.  Warren,  of  course,  represented  the  Ma- 
chado  family. 

Miss  Vedder  is  following  in  her  father's  artistic 
footsteps,  and  has  done  some  very  creditable  tapestry 
painting.  The  drive  into  town  was  rather  cold  and 
long ;  you  can  have  no  idea  of  how  cold  it  is  here 
when  the  sun  goes  down,  but  we  were  so  well 
wrapped  up,  that  I  think  we  all  avoided  colds. 

Mrs.  Gouverneur  Morris  came  over  to  dinner  and 
afterwards  we  had  a  little  "  bridge  ** — Mr.  A.  making 
a  pleasant  fourth.  Mrs.  M.  is  such  a  splendid  player 
that  she  and  F.  B.  quite  walked  off  with  the  tally. 
When  we  get  home  I  hope  you  will  meet  Mrs.  M., 
for  I  am  sure  you  would  like  each  other.  She  is  an 
altogether  charming  woman,  very  fond  of"  bridge  " 
(which   will  appeal  to  you),  thinks   your  tallies  are 

[124] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

fine,    and    won    her    way  to  my  heart  directly  by 
admiring  your  photograph. 

R.  is  coming  to  dine  to-morrow  night,  and  wrote 
me  he  had  all  sorts  of  delightful  plans  for  us  in  the 
near  future. 


h25l 


XVII 
To  C.  R. 

Rome,  Italy,  February  9,  1905 

My  dear  Caira: 

RCAME  in  the  other  evening  and  carried 
us  off  to  some  private  theatricals  given 
•  for  the  benefit  of  the  Ambulatorio  della 
Society  Soccorso  e  Lavoro,  in  one  of  the  small  halls 
generally  used  for  a  dancing  school,  and  named  after 
the  dancing  master  Pichetti  (I  thought  of  Pappanti). 
When  we  first  reached  the  hall  we  found  we  were 
quite  early,  and  I  was  so  thankful  that  I  had  re- 
belled at  leaving  my  fur  cape  in  the  cloak  room,  as 
the  thermometer,  I  am  sure,  did  not  register  above 
fifty.  A  few  people  were  before  us,  and  they  too, 
clung  closely  to  their  furs. 

Mrs.  Wurtz,  a  sister  of  Mr.  Tower,  our  Ambas- 
sador at  Berlin,  was  one  of  the  first  people  pointed 
out  to  us.  She  was  wearing  a  beautiful  ermine  cape, 
and  later  in  the  evening  when  the  hall  became  some- 
what warmer,  and  she  threw  back  her  wrap,  I  had 
a  chance  to  see  some  of  her  famous  jewels.     As  you 

[126] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

may  imagine,  it  was  very  interesting  to  us  to  watch 
the  people  coming  in,  for  the  hall  is  small  and  the 
tickets  had  been  sold  only  to  people  very  well 
known ;  therefore  the  little  audience  of  about  three 
or  four  hundred,  comprised  the  best  of  Roman  so- 
ciety. The  first  play  was  Goldoni's  "Gl*  Innamo- 
rati,"  and  the  principal  role  was  taken  by  the  lovely 
Princess  Teano,  a  daughter-in-law  of  the  Duchess  of 
Sermoneta.  The  young  Princess  was  animation  itself 
in  the  role  of  the  jealous  and  affectionate  fiancee.  I 
have  read  many  of  Goldoni's  plays,  when  I  was  in 
RadclifFe  College,  so  I  was  much  interested  to  see 
how  the  cultivated  Italians  would  interpret  his  r6les. 
The  play  was  charmingly  costumed,  had  been  ex- 
tremely well  rehearsed,  and  went  off  with  quite  a 
professional  dash.  The  Marchese  Guglielmi,  Prince 
Altieri  and  the  Marchese  G.  Cappelli,  all  had  a 
struggle  for  the  hand  of  the  heroine,  and  as  the  players 
and  the  audience  knew  one  another  so  well,  the  scenes 
were  very  amusing. 

This  play  was  followed  by  one  act  of  Edmond 
Rostand's  "  Les  Romanesques."  The  Princess  of 
Paterno  made  a  pretty,  graceful  Sylvette,  and  her 
French  was  as  smooth  and  Parisian  as  one  would  hear 
in  a  French  theatre.  By  far  the  most  distinguished- 
looking  man  in  the  audience  was  His  Excellency 

[127] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Signer  Tittoni,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  I 
think  I  wrote  you  about  going  to  call  on  Donna 
Bice  Tittoni,  his  wife,  and  about  her  charming  re- 
ception of  us  ;  I  am  hoping  soon  to  have  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  His  Excellency. 

R.  presented  me  to  Count  Bruschi,  one  of  the 
Gentlemen-in-Waiting  on  Her  Majesty  Queen 
Elena,  and  f)ointed  out  a  great  many  other  people 
whose  names  I  am  struggling  to  recall.  I  remember 
the  Marchesa  Casati,  a  striking-looking  woman, 
wearing  a  large  white  camellia  in  her  elaborately 
dressed  brown  hair,  the  young  Princess  Ruspoli,  a 
Roman  beauty,  sat  near  me,  wearing  a  pretty  frock 
of  light  blue  and  violet,  and  lots  of  other  people 
that  I  shall  write  you  about  later. 

There  was  a  scramble  for  the  carriages  afterward, 
but  in  some  magical  way,  R.  piloted  us  to  ours  at 
once,  and  we  had  to  thank  him  for  a  very  pleasant 
evening.  His  mother  is  such  a  sweet  woman.  I 
hope  some  time  you  may  meet  her. 


[128] 


ni,   the  Mini 
1   wrote  you  about  gr 
Tittoni,  his  wife,  and  about  her  char 
, .  J   -  n  of  U8  ;  I  am  hoping  soon  to  have  t\ 
of  meeting  His  Excellency. 

R.  presented  me  to  Count  Bruschi> 
Gcntltmen-in-Waiting    on     Her     Majest) 
Elena,  and  pointed  out  a  great   many  other  | 


whose  names  I  am 

ftniirrHnir  to 

rcrnll. 

T  remember 

thp    Marrhesa 

< 

o 

--.iiii. 

■ r> 

dressed   I 

lv(',ui;!n   Iv^a 

< 

Ou 

< 

< 

e 

Q 
bd 

< 
C 

•rately 

poli,  a 

- ,    frock 

c 

r  people 

0( 

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,    .  y  pleasant 

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f     woman.       T 

f,28] 


II  Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


XVIII 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

A  DAY  WITH  ST.  PAUL 

Rome,  Italy,  February  ii,  1905 

My  dear  Mother  : 

MRS.  Mozley  is  indefatigable  about  our 
sight-seeing,  and  yesterday  insisted  on  our 
going  with  Miss  B.  and  herself  for  **A 
Day  with  St.  Paul,"  as  she  expressed  it.  We  really 
had  a  delightful  time,  and  perhaps  you  would  like  to 
have  me  tell  you  something  of  what  we  have  seen. 
The  conditions  for  sight-seeing  were  perfect, — 
cool  weather,  glorious  sunshine,  bunches  of  lovely 
big  violets  all  around,  from  F.  B.,  an  exceedingly 
comfortable  carriage,  a  scholar  as  a  guide,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  plenty  of  warm  wraps. 

We  started  out  first  to  see  the  house  where  St. 
Paul  lived  in  Rome,  which  is  in  the  "  Ghetto.'*  You 
know  the  place  where  the  Jews  live  is  called 
**  Ghetto,'*  from  a  Hebrew  word  meaning  "  dis- 
persed," and  here  in  Rome  the  "  Ghetto  "  was  en- 
closed   by  Pope   Paul   IV  in  1556.      All  the  men 

[129] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

were  compelled  to  wear  yellow  hats,  and  the  women 
yellow  veils,  and  they  were  not  allowed  to  be  out 
after  sunset  or  before  sunrise,  while  gates  were  put 
across  the  streets  that  enclosed  this  section  of  the 
city.  Pio  Nono  did  away  with  the  gates,  but  it  was 
not  until  1870,  when  the  victorious  Italian  army 
under  Cadorna  took  possession  of  Rome,  that  the  Jews 
obtained  the  full  liberties  of  citizenship.  They  first 
settled  here  in  the  time  of  Pompey  the  Great,  and 
the  lower  part  of  the  houses  in  the  "  Ghetto  "  are 
mostly  of  Roman  construction,  presenting  a  very 
singular,  half-ruined  appearance.  About  four  thou- 
sand Jews  live  in  this  little  place,  packed  in  like 
sardines,  but  in  spite  of  this,  I  am  told  there  is  no 
fever  here. 

There  is  nothing  to  remind  one  of  St.  Paul  in  the 
house  that  is  pointed  out  as  his,  and  to  the  ordinary 
passer-by,  it  looks  very  much  like  the  other  houses 
in  the  "  Ghetto,"  so  we  drove  on  to  the  Porta  San 
Paolo,  and  thence  to  the  celebrated  church  of  San 
Paolo  Fuori  le  Mura.  On  the  road  we  passed  a 
small  chapel,  which  is  supposed  to  mark  the  spot 
where  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter  took  leave  of  each  other 
on  their  last  journey.  A  quaint  bas-relief  over  the 
door  represents  their  parting,  and  the  inscription 
below  says  :      In  this  place  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  sepa- 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

rated  on  their  way  to  martyrdom.  And  Paul  said 
to  Peter  "  Peace  be  with  thee.  Foundation  of  the 
Church,  Shepherd  of  the  Flock  of  Christ.'*  And 
Peter  said  to  Paul,  "  Go  in  peace,  preacher  of  good 
tidings,  and  guide  of  the  salvation  of  the  just." 

St.  Peter  was  soon  after  imprisoned  in  Rome  by 
Nero,  in  a  strange  stone  prison  that  we  went  to  see 
the  other  day.  It  is  called  Career  Mamertinus,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  ancient  structures  in  Rome.  It  is 
a  most  extraordinary  place,  consisting  of  two  rooms, 
one  above  the  other,  but  it  is  believed  that  formerly, 
there  were  others  similar.  The  lower  chamber,  with 
a  vaulted  stone  roof,  was  originally  accessible  only 
through  a  hole  in  the  ceiling,  and  it  was  through 
this  hole  that  poor  St.  Peter  was  supposed  to  have 
been  lowered  from  the  upper  room,  and  it  was  here, 
so  the  legend  goes,  that  St.  Peter  baptized  his  jailers 
(you  remember  the  story)  with  water  from  a  spring 
which  he  caused  to  flow  miraculously  through  his 
dungeon. 

Jugurtha,  that  fierce  and  unscrupulous  Numidian, 
Vercingetorix,  the  bitter  enemy  of  Caesar,  and  others 
of  Rome's  conquered  enemies,  were  imprisoned  in 
this  same  dungeon.  I  shall  tell  you  all  about  the 
place  where  poor  St.  Paul  was  beheaded  presently. 
The  drive  out  to  the    Cathedral  built  in  St.   Paul's 

[>3i] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

honor  is  most  lovely,  and  we  reached  the  church 
altogether  too  soon.  The  Roman  Campagna  is 
simply  beautiful,  and  the  long  lines  of  the  old  ruined 
aqueducts,  broken  here  and  there,  give  such  a  pic- 
turesque touch  to  the  landscape.  Occasionally  we 
could  see  the  ruins  of  some  old  Roman  watchtower, 
and  away  in  the  distance  were  the  majestic  snow- 
capped mountains,  with  the  little  hill  towns  nestling 
at  their  base. 

On  the  road  we  met  and  passed  many  of  the  wine 
carts  coming  and  going  to  these  same  little  towns, 
Castelli  Romani,  they  are  called;  the  term  is  given 
to  them  all,  as  the  district  from  which  the  wine  is 
chiefly  made  in  this  part  of  the  country.  There 
are  all  sorts  of  fiinny  little  out-of-door  restaurants 
along  the  road,  with  signs  over  them  painted  in 
bright  colors  that  read,  Vini  dei  Castelli  (Wines 
from  the  Castelli))  and  before  the  more  favored 
ones,  there  were  generally  three  or  four  of  these  odd- 
looking  wine  carts.  The  way  is  long  and  the  load  is 
heavy,  so  'that  the  men  are  often  on  the  road  all 
night  coming  to  Rome,  and  all  day  returning  to  their 
home.  And  since  their  life  must  be  thus  spent  upon 
the  highway,  they  make  their  carts  as  comfortable 
as  possible.  As  you  can  see  from  the  picture  I  am 
sending  you,  there  is  a  large  sort  of  canopy  built  at 

[132] 


lovely,  and    ^ 
soon. 

here  and  there,  give  sue) 
4UC  touch  to  the;  landscape.      Occasionally  we 
could  sec  the  ruins  of  some  old  Roman  watchto' 
and  n  the  distance  were  the   maj 

capped  mountains,  with  the  Uttle  hill  towns 


o 

as 


►J 


CO 

< 


•ns, 


X  There 


O 
h 

OS 

< 
U 


Dent  upon 
(jTtable 
trom  the  picture  I  / 
gc  sort  of  canopy   '. 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

one  side  of  the  driver's  seat,  and  under  the  canopy 
are  arranged  numbers  of  bells.  The  frame  work  is 
built  of  wood,  painted  in  bright  colors,  and  elaborately 
but  crudely  ornamented  with  gay  designs.  Goat  skins 
or  sheep  skins,  untanned,  make  a  soft,  warm  lining 
and  a  sure  protection  from  the  bitter  Tramontana, 
which  comes  sweeping  over  the  mountains.  From 
the  tinkling  of  the  bells,  each  man  is  able  to  keep 
his  own  side  of  the  road,  and  he  may  sleep  in  peace 
after  a  hard  day's  work  in  Rome,  for  his  little  /«- 
petto  will  take  care  that  no  one  steals  any  wine  from 
the  load.  I  have  been  half  tempted  to  bring  home 
with  me  one  of  these  dogs.  They  are  intelligent, 
pretty,  never  attach  themselves  to  any  one  but  their 
owner,  and  are  most  ferocious  little  creatures  as 
watchdogs.  However,  I  have  concluded  that  the 
one  I  intended  to  take,  might  not  agree  with  dear 
"  Tip,"  so  you  need  have  no  anxiety  on  this  score. 

When  we  drove  up  to  the  side  door  of  the  church, 
(there  is  no  approach,  as  yet,  to  the  front  of  the 
building,  for  hundreds  of  years  pass  here  as  nothing 
in  construction),  numerous  venders  of  small  Roman 
mosaics,  cameos  and  postal  cards  surrounded  our 
carriage.  We  tried  to  be  stern  and  hurry  into  the 
church,  but  the  men  were  very  persistent,  and  some 
of  the  things  were  rather  pretty,  so  we  bought  a  few, 

[133] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  like  magic  the  men  disappeared,  only  to  waylay 
another  party  who  were  just  driving  up.  The  first 
impression  on  entering  the  church,  is  that  of  sym- 
metry and  elegance.  Prudentius,  who  saw  in  its 
glory,  the  original  basilica  that  was  burned,  describes 
it  thus,  and  it  is  equally  applicable  to  the  present 
edifice : — 

"  Imperial  splendour  all  the  roof  adorns ; 
Whose  vaults  a  monarch  built  to  God,  and  graced 
With  golden  pomp  the  vast  circumference. 
With  gold  the  beams  he  covered,  that  within 
The  light  might  emulate  the  beams  of  morn. 
Beneath  the  glittering  ceiling  pillars  stood 
Of  Parian  stone,  in  four-fold  ranks  disposed ; 
Each  curving  arch  with  glass  of  various  dye 
Was  decked  ;  so  shines  with  flowers  the  painted  mead 
In  spring's  prolific  day." 

It  was  originally  built  to  mark  the  place  where, 
according  to  tradition,  the  body  of  St.  Paul  was 
buried  by  a  pious  woman  named  Lucina,  who  owned 
the  land,  and  in  the  Confessio  the  sarcophagus  of  St. 
Paul  was  placed.  I  believe  the  first  little  church 
was  founded  in  388  A.  D.  and  was  added  to,  greatly 
changed  and  ornamented  by  many  of  the  Popes,  Leo 
VIII  in  particular.  In  1823,  the  church,  which  was 
then  the  finest  and  the  most  interesting  in  Rome, 
was  entirely  destroyed  by  fire,  with  the  exception  of 

['34] 


< 

H 

O 

< 


CO 

CO     ^ 


raced 


o 

o 
5 

h 


Q 

CO 

H 
O 


O 

(4 


Koine 


xn^ 


Or 


^nive: 


U/ 


Of 
.'="OF»N»« 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

the  choir.  The  rebuilding  was  begun  immediately, 
but  the  church  was  consecrated  only  in  1854,  by 
Pius  IX  on  the  occasion  of  the  meeting  of  the 
Council.  The  nave  is  magnificent  with  its  rows  of 
eighty  great  columns  of  granite,  brought  from  the 
Simplon,  and  above  these  columns,  on  the  inner 
aisle,  is  a  long  series  of  portrait  medallions  of  all  the 
Popes  in  mosaic,  from  St.  Peter  and  St.  Linus  down 
to  Pius  X.  The  workmanship  is  most  beautiful,  and 
the  likenesses,  judging  from  Pius  IX  and  Leo  XIII, 
are  excellent. 

But  many  of  the  mosaics  are  in  the  symbolical 
style  of  the  early  Christians,  and  according  to  my 
way  of  thinking,  not  altogether  beautiful.  The  four 
columns  of  the  high  altar  are  of  exquisite  oriental 
alabaster,  and  were  presented  to  the  church  by  Me- 
hemet  Ali,  Viceroy  of  Egypt,  and  the  malachite 
pedestals  were  given  by  the  Emperor  Nicholas  I  of 
Russia.  The  Confessio  (or  shrine)  is  beautifully  deco- 
rated with  red  and  green  Peloponnesian  marbles  that 
were  known  and  much  used  by  the  ancients. 

By  a  little  persuasion,  our  guide  was  enabled  to 
show  us  the  famous  bronze  door  of  the  ancient 
basilica,  which  was  executed  at  Constantinople  in 
1 070  by  Staurakios.  It  is  really  magnificent,  inlaid 
in  silver   with   scenes  taken    from    the    Bible,  and 

[13s] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

though  it  is  injured  a  good  deal,  it  is  very  interesting 
nevertheless. 

The  cloisters  adjoining  the  church  are  also  beau- 
tiful, and  have  been  declared  by  the  government  to  be 
a  National  Monument,  though  the  monastery,  which 
formerly  belonged  to  the  Benedictine  Order,  has 
been  secularized.  Of  course  we  could  not  see  nearly 
everything  in  one  visit,  so,  as  we  had  planned  to 
drive  on  to  the  Abbadia  delle  Tre  Fontane  (Abbey 
of  the  Three  Fountains) ,  the  place  where  St.  Paul  is 
supposed  to  have  been  beheaded,  we  had  to  tear  our- 
selves away.  For  a  great  many  years  this  place 
was  deserted,  because  this  section  of  the  country 
is  very  malarious;  but  when  the  French  Trappists 
were  driven  from  France,  the  land  was  made  over  to 
them,  and  here  they  have  established  a  monastery. 
The  sanitary  condition  of  the  place  has  been  much 
improved  by  the  extensive  planting  of  the  fast-grow- 
ing eucalyptus  trees,  and  the  thrifty  monks  have  been 
most  successful  in  selling  their  Eucalyptus  Cordial, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  very  beneficial  in  the  case 
of  colds. 

As  we  entered  the  grounds  of  the  monastery,  one 
of  the  monks  came  forward  and  politely  offered  to 
show  us  about.  He  was  rather  old,  and  said  that  just 
because  he  was  no  longer  young,  he  was  allowed  to 

[136] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

show  visitors  about.  He  was  delighted  when  I 
talked  to  him  in  French,  and  was  very  kind  in 
answering  all  my  various  questions  about  the  place 
and  his  Order,  which  is  one  of  the  most  austere  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  He  told  us  that 
monks  who  enter  this  Order  bind  themselves  by  vows 
of  absolute  silence  amongst  themselves.  Many  hours 
in  the  day  are  given  to  religious  exercises,  and  several 
hours  to  hard  labor.  Vegetables  and  water  form 
their  only  diet,  while  all  meat  and  wine  are  forbid- 
den. This  especial  severity  was  introduced  into  the 
Order  in  1664  by  Armand  Jean  le  Bouthillier  de 
Ranee,  who  was  consecrated  Abbot  of  La  Trappc, 
in  France,  where  an  Abbey  of  the  Cistercian  Order 
was  established.  He  had  some  difficulty  in  persuad- 
ing the  monks  to  adopt  his  rules,  because  they  had 
become  very  disorderly  and  irreligious  at  the  time  of 
his  consecration,  but  in  the  end  he  prevailed,  though 
the  Order  was  suppressed  in  France  during  the 
French  Revolution,  and  in  Germany  in  1874.  Mrs. 
M.  surprised  me  by  saying  that  there  is  more  than 
one  colony  of  Trappists  in  America.  The  monk 
showed  us  the  church  of  San  Paolo  alle  Tre  Fontane, 
that  stands  on  the  spot  where  St.  Paul  is  said  to  have 
been  beheaded.  After  the  execution,  the  head  was 
seen  to  make  three  leaps,  and  according  to  tradition, 

[137] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

at  each  spot  where  the  head  touched  the  ground,  a 
spring  burst  forth.  A  sort  of  marble  basin  has  been 
built  about  each  spring,  and  on  the  pavement  below 
is  sculptured  a  head  intended  to  resemble  St.  Paul. 
At  the  right  of  the  first  spring  is  a  column  of  white 
marble  to  which  St.  Paul  was  bound  at  the  time  of 
his  decapitation.  Naturally  these  springs  are  re- 
garded as  holy,  though  I  believe  no  special  curative 
properties  are  claimed  for  them. 

The  approach  to  this  church  is  lined  by  majestic 
eucalyptus  trees,  and  as  we  returned  to  go  over  the 
other  two  churches  here, — Santi  Vincenzo  ed  Anas- 
tasio  and  Santa  Maria  Scala  Cceli — the  monk,  find- 
ing that  F.  B.  talked  French,  drew  him  aside,  under 
pretense  of  showing  him  the  beautiful  peacock,  and 
asked  him  if  he  had  any  cigarettes.  "The  doctor 
said  they  would  be  good  for  me,"  the  poor  monk 
faltered,  by  way  of  apology,  and  I  am  happy  to  say 
that  F.  B.  took  pity  on  him,  and  gave  him  all  that 
he  had.  Fancy  living  in  this  desolate  place  year  in 
and  year  out  and  never  speaking  to  a  soul!  What 
an  awful  existence  !  I  should  think  if  they  got  as  far 
as  believing  that  the  Lord  was  pleased  with  all  these 
sacrifices,  they  might  get  to  the  point  of  thinking 
that  suicide  might  be  acceptable,  and  certainly  they 
must  feel  it   would  be   much  easier  than  this  long 

[•38] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

drawn-out  life  of  misery  and  deprivation.  The 
other  churches  are  not  particularly  interesting,  ex- 
cept that  one  of  them  has  quite  a  wonderful  echo, 
which  the  monk  took  pains  to  show  us  with  his  fine 
baritone  voice,  of  which  he  evidently  was  very  proud. 

Just  before  leaving,  we  were  taken  to  the  distil- 
ling room,  and  asked  to  buy  a  glass  of  the  eucalyptus 
liqueur.  It  is  extremely  palatable,  and  the  Italian 
physicians  often  prescribe  it  in  cases  of  influenza  or 
grippe.  The  poor  monk  who  had  seemed  so  pleased 
when  we  arrived,  seemed  equally  disheartened  at  our 
departure,  and  did  his  best  to  make  us  promise  to 
return  in  a  few  days.  I  dare  say  we  shall  drive  out 
that  way  again,  and  if  we  do,  I  have  promised  to 
take  him  some  of  the  kodaks  that  I  took  of  the  place, 
as  well  as  of  him. 

According  to  our  landlady,  who  appeared  this 
morning  in  a  state  of  bustle  and  hustle,  carrying  clean 
lace  curtains  and  fresh  tidies  for  the  chairs,  "the 
great  heat  is  coming."  As  we  have  been  closely 
wrapped  in  fur-lined  garments  all  day,  we  are  not 
exactly  prepared  to  accept  her  statement,  but  in  any 
case,  we  are  tremendously  spruced  up,  and  our  rooms 
look  very  pretty,  with  all  the  fresh  clean  things 
about.  The  spring  flowers  are  here,  it  is  true,  and 
the    house-keeper    is    a    most    intelligent    German 

[139] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

woman,  who  has  lived  in  Rome  many  years,  so  when 
she  replied  to  my  doubting  remark  of  the  approach- 
ing heat,  "  GnddigCf  es  ist  wahr  (Excellency,  it  is 
true),'*  I  suppose  she  really  knew.  I  sincerely  hope 
she  is  right,  for  I  want  to  keep  her  snapping  black 
eyes  in  my  favor,  and  she  had  the  fire-place  quite 
cleared  out  and  "gray  washed"  this  morning,  so  I  shall 
struggle  to  believe  that  I  do  not  need  another  fire. 
We  are  looking  forward  to  the  Balde  Tetes,  which 
is  to  come  off  in  a  few  days.  Countess  Bruschi,  a 
lovely  Lady-in- Waiting  to  H.  M.  Queen  Elena, 
was  kind  enough  to  procure  us  tickets,  and  I  shall 
write  you  all  about  it  when  it  is  over. 


[140] 


XIX 
To  T.  C.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  February  12,  1905 
My  dear  Papa : 

WE  have  just  come  in  from  a  lovely  walk  in 
the  Villa  Umberto  I.      The  park  is  so 
near-by,  and  so  sunny,  that  it  makes  an 
ideal  place  for  my  morning  walks. 

In  the  mail  that  I  found  waiting  for  me  when  I 
came  in,  was  a  delightful  letter  from  Jules  Huret  of 
the  Figaro,  and  another  from  Georges  Boyer,  Secre- 
tary General  of  the  National  Academy  of  Music,  of 
France ;  both  letters  contained  alluring  invitations 
for  me  to  sing  as  soon  as  I  get  to  Paris,  and  if  I  ever 
make  up  my  mind  to  leave  this  delightful  place,  I 
know  we  shall  have  all  sorts  of  good  times  in  dear 
"Paree."  You  surely  have  read  Mr.  Huret's  book 
on  America — I  think  he  has  "sized  us  up"  about  as 
correctly  as  any  of  the  foreigners  who  come  to  us. 
He  modestly  says  that  his  book  is  only  impressions, 
since  he  was  in  America  less  than  a  year,  but  the 
impressions  are  a  good  deal  more  to  the  point  than 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

those  of  some  of  the  other  men  who  go  over  to 
America,  stay  two  months,  and  claim  to  know  it  all. 
Mr.  Boyer  is  fearfully  busy  these  days  receiving  Sov- 
ereigns— they  all  seem  to  have  decided  to  visit 
Paris — and  in  his  position  as  Secretary  of  the  Opera, 
naturally,  he  meets  them  all.  It  is  nice  that  a  man 
of  his  charm  should  have  his  position — he  always 
has  such  a  graceful  way  of  doing  things  for  everyone. 

Donna  Bice  Tittoni  came  in  for  a  few  minutes 
this  afternoon  for  tea.  She  has  such  a  sweet  per- 
sonality. 

We  are  lunching  at  the  Embassy  to-morrow,  but 
I  must  not  stop  for  any  more  now,  as  we  are  going 
out. 


[H2] 


XX 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

HER  MAJESTY  QUEEN  ELENA 

Rome,  Italy,  February  15,  1905 
My  dear  M.: 

THIS  surely  has  been  a  red-letter  day,  a 
Wednesday,  as  all  my  red-letter  days  seem 
to  be.  I  wrote  you  that  our  invitations 
had  come  from  Her  Majesty,  but  I  think  I  did 
not  tell  you  just  how  they  came.  They  were  sepa- 
rate invitations,  one  for  Mrs.  Francis  Batcheller,  and 
signed  by  the  present  Lady-in- Waiting,  the  Duchess 
of  Ascoli  (down  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner,  there 
was  a  little  stamp  which  read,  "  visiting  dress  with 
hat  '* )  ;  F.  B.'s  invitation  was' signed  by  the  Gentle- 
man-in-Waiting,  the  Duke  of  Ascoli  (the  stamp  in 
the  corner  read,  "  morning  dress,  frock  coat").  Time 
here  is  reckoned  from  the  first  to  the  twenty-fourth 
hour,  so  the  time  set  was  17:45  (5:45  p.  m.  being 
put  in  parentheses),  and  we  drove  up  to  the  door  of 
the  inner  court  of  the  Quirinal  Palace  ten  minutes 
ahead  of  our  appointment. 

[H3l 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

A  gorgeous-looking  individual  in  a  red  coat  and 
much  gold  lace,  handed  me  out  of  the  carriage,  and 
numerous  other  functionaries  in  black  satin  knee 
breeches,  red  coats  and  powdered  hair,  politely 
directed  us  to  the  staircase.  Going  up  we  met  Mrs. 
M.  and  a  friend  coming  down;  I  had  a  momentary 
panic  for  fear  that  we  were  really  late,  or  that  I  had 
made  a  mistake  in  the  hour.  But  it  seems  that  a 
special  time  is  appointed  for  each  person  presented, 
in  order  that  the  Queen  may  meet  and  receive  at 
her  ease  all  those  invited  to  the  Palace.  When  we 
reached  the  head  of  the  stairs,  we  entered  a  long 
corridor,  at  the  right  of  which  stood  a  line  of  ten  or 
twelve  footmen  dressed  as  those  below.  A  place  for 
wraps  was  conveniently  arranged  at  one  side  of  the 
entrance,  and  a  check  for  each  person's  things  given 
in  the  usual  way.  At  the  other  end  of  the  corridor, 
we  were  met  by  one  of  the  principal  functionaries  of 
the  Palace,  carrying  a  long  gold  mounted  staff,  who 
conducted  us  through  several  elegantly  furnished 
drawing-rooms.  Our  guide,  if  one  can  speak  in 
that  way,  never  turned  his  face  from  us,  but  backed 
in  and  around  doors  and  furniture  in  the  most  grace- 
ful and  incomprehensible  way.  We  were  asked  to 
be  seated  in  a  beautiful  reception  room,  where  sev- 
eral other  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  waiting  like 

[H4] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

ourselves,  to  be  presented  to  Her  Majesty  Queen 
Elena  of  Italy.  Most  of  the  ladies  wore  light  cloth 
gowns,  very  elaborate,  as  one  might  expect,  and 
everyone  wore  more  jewels  than  are  ordinarily  suit- 
able with  visiting  costumes.  I  wore  my  white 
broadcloth  princess  gown,  that  is  trimmed  with 
Cluny  lace  embroidered  in  gold  thread,  the  little 
white  and  gold  toque  to  match,  and  my  ropes 
of  pearls.  Do  you  approve?  No  one  ever  wears  a 
glove  on  the  right  hand  when  presented  to  the 
Queen.  The  left  hand  is  gloved,  and  the  right  glove 
is  carried  in  the  left  hand,  so  that  if  Her  Majesty 
does  extend  her  hand,  you  may  be  ready  to  accept 
her  kindness  immediately  and  in  the  approved 
manner. 

We  had  been  in  the  room  but  a  short  time,  when 
the  Duke  of  Ascoli  introduced  himself  to  F.  B.,  and 
though  we  had  come  rather  later  than  some  people, 
he  at  once  asked  us  to  accompany  him  into  the  next 
room,  where  he  presented  us  to  his  wife,  the 
Duchess.  This  ducal  title  is  Neapolitan,  but  the 
Duchess  was  the  Princess  Pio  di  Savoia  before  her 
marriage.  She  asked  us  to  be  seated,  and  chatted 
with  us  for  the  few  moments  we  had  to  wait,  while 
the  Queen  made  her  adieux  to  those  who  had  been 
presented  just  before  us.     While  we  waited,  I  had 

[H5] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

a  chance  to  look  about  the  lovely  room  where  the 
Duchess  had  received  us.  It  was  hung  with  elegant 
tapestries,  which  I  did  not  have  time  to  see  thor- 
oughly, for  the  Duchess  soon  led  us  to  the  door  of 
the  room  in  which  Her  Majesty  was  receiving.  I 
shall  never  quite  forget  my  first  glance  at  the  Queen, 
as  she  stood  majestic  and  alone  in  the  centre  of  the 
room,  in  front  of  a  huge  mound  of  flowering  plants 
and  ferns,  that  formed  an  appropriate  background 
for  her  dark  imperial  beauty.  It  could  be  only  a 
glance,  of  course,  as  the  first  courtesy  of  ceremony 
is  made  directly  as  you  enter,  another  when  you  are 
about  half  way  across  the  room,  and  still  another 
when  you  are  directly  in  front  of  Her  Majesty. 

You  remember,  that  when  Queen  Elena  was  mar- 
ried, it  was  said  throughout  Europe,  that  she  was  the 
most  beautiful  woman  in  the  world,  but  one  hears 
that  remark  not  infrequently  of  famous  people,  and 
at  the  time,  I  did  not  realize  how  literally  true  the 
statement  was  in  regard  to  the  Queen  of  Italy.  None 
of  her  photographs,  beautiful  as  they  are,  give  you 
any  idea  of  the  person  of  the  Queen  herself,  for 
there  is  an  indefinable  expression  of  sweetness,  kind- 
liness and  charm  that  no  camera  can  portray. 

Before  I  could  make  my  last  courtesy,  Her  Majesty 
held  out  her  hand  to  me,  and  asked  if  I   had  been 

[146] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

long  in  Italy.  She  spoke  in  Italian  and  French, 
neither  of  us  seemingly  conscious  of  the  change 
from  one  language  to  the  other,  but  I  have  since 
been  told  that  the  Queen  rather  prefers  French,  as 
that  is  the  language  she  has  always  been  accustomed 
to  speak.  You  will  recall  that  she  was  educated 
chiefly  in  France  and  Russia. 

You  will  want  to  know  what  she  wore,  but  I 
almost  forgot  to  notice,  I  was  so  impressed  by  the 
glorious  beauty  of  the  woman  herself;  but  being  a 
woman,  I  did  not  quite  forget.  Her  gown  was  a 
soft  gray  crepe-de-chine,  embroidered  in  shades  of 
gray  and  small  silver  spangles.  It  was  cut  with  a 
low  lining,  and  beautiful  Venetian  lace  formed  the 
yoke  that  was  finished  in  a  collar  of  the  gray;  she 
wore  a  string  of  very  large  pearls,  and  one  or  two 
diamond  ornaments.  I  think  it  is  only  a  brunette  of 
just  her  type  that  can  wear  gray  satisfactorily;  but  no 
gown  of  any  sort  would  ever  be  very  much  noticed 
on  such  a  beautiful  woman.  Her  hair  is  simply  be- 
yond description ;  it  is  very  heavy,  so  black  that  it  is 
almost  blue,  and  is  drawn  loosely  back  from  her  face 
and  fine  forehead  in  large,  soft  waves.  She  is  very 
tall,  but  her  figure  is  perfect.  Her  eyes  are  very 
dark  brown  and  are  very  brilliant,  but  her  mouth  is 
to  me  her  most  attractive  feature,  for,  as  she  speaks, 

[H7] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

her  lower  lip  quivers  just  the  tiniest  bit  in  the 
world,  showing  a  tenderness  of  nature,  such  as  one 
rarely  meets. 

I  had  feared  that  my  conversation  might  be  some- 
what constrained,  but  Her  Majesty  put  me  immedi- 
ately at  my  ease,  asked  me  many  questions  about 
Boston  and  the  Dante  Alighieri  Society,  to  which  I 
belong,  and  if  I  had  been  in  Italy  before.  After  we 
had  talked  some  time,  the  Queen  put  out  her  hand 
and  bade  us  good-bye  with  a  charming  cordiality, 
yet  with  an  impressive  dignity,  that  showed  at  once 
the  Queen  and  the  sweet  woman.  We  backed  out 
of  the  room,  making  our  courtesy  at  the  doorway, 
and  were  at  once  conducted  by  the  Duchess  of  Ascoli 
to  the  first  reception  room  where  we  had  previously 
waited.  The  Duke  greeted  us  there,  and  presented 
us  to  Count  Bruschi,  another  Gentleman-in-Waiting 
to  the  Queen,  whom  I  met,  as  I  think  I  wrote  you, 
the  other  evening  at  the  private  theatricals.  Count 
Bruschi  conducted  us  to  a  large  room,  where  a  most 
elaborate  buffet  was  prepared  for  Her  Majesty's 
guests.  The  Count  seemed  pleased  that  I  could 
speak  Italian,  and  we  chatted  pleasantly  of  the  the- 
atricals, of  Rome,  and  other  things,  while  we  had  our 
tea  ;  other  people  who  had  been  presented  were  also 
having   tea,   chocolate   or    ^ces,   according  to    their 

[148] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

tastes.  When  he  said  good  afternoon,  we  found 
ourselves  in  the  corridor  where  we  had  left  our 
wraps,  which  we  got  at  once  and  drove  away. 

Heretofore,  I  am  told,  the  presentations  at  the 
Court  of  Italy  were  very  formal  affairs.  People  were 
conducted  to  the  presence  of  Their  Majesties  by 
Court  officials,  and  were  ceremoniously  presented  to 
the  Court  and  Royal  Household.  No  words  were 
exchanged  with  Their  Majesties,  who  were  seated 
on  their  throne,  and  the  low  courtesy  made  in  front 
of  the  King  and  Queen  comprised  the  whole  cere- 
mony. But  Queen  Elena  has  recently  established 
this  charming  way  of  personally  receiving  and  greet- 
ing everyone  who  is  presented  at  her  Court;  the 
change,  while  a  great  innovation,  is  universally  wel- 
comed, and  is  certainly  most  delightful.  It  is  more 
irksome,  of  course,  for  the  Queen,  but  as  I  have 
said,  she  has  such  a  sweet  nature  that  she  considers 
herself  last  of  all,  and  is  ever  thoughtful  of  the  happi- 
ness of  others. 

Aunt  Mary  and  some  friends  were  waiting  for  us 
at  the  hotel  when  we  returned,  to  hear  about  the 
presentation,  but  I  could  talk  of  nothing  but  the 
sweetness  and  beauty  of  the  Queen.  She  is  such  a 
great  personage  that  of  course  you  know  a  good 
deal  about  her;  that  she  was  the  fifth  daughter  of 

[H9] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  Prince  of  Montenegro,  and  was  the  Princess 
most  sought  and  most  admired  at  several  of  the 
Courts  of  Europe  before  her  marriage.  Contrary  to 
current  report  the  Queen  is  very  fond  of  music,  and 
plays  the  violin  extremely  w^ell,  so  one  of  her  Ladies- 
in- Waiting  told  me.  She  is  very  fond  of  art,  is 
quite  a  w^onderful  photographer,  and  as  a  matter  of 
course,  an  excellent  linguist;  but  she  is  primarily  a 
beautiful  woman  with  all  that  the  word  implies,  a 
most  affectionate  mother  and  devoted  wife.  Her 
children,  the  little  Princess  Jolanda,  the  Princess 
Mafalda,  and  the  little  Prince  of  Piedmonte,  bid  fair 
to  inherit  their  mother's  beauty.  Certainly  the 
little  Prince  of  Piedmonte  should  some  day  make 
a  splendid  King,  for  no  Royal  child  ever  had 
more  devoted  or  more  constant  care.  Nothing 
is  ever  allowed  to  interfere  with  his  wants  and  needs, 
and  no  Royal  function,  indeed  no  function  of 
any  sort,  can  hope  for  the  Queen's  presence  if  it  in- 
terferes with  H.  R.  H's.  supper.  Is  n't  it  splendid 
for  a  young  woman  in  the  Queen's  great  position  to 
give  the  world  such  an  example?  As  you  may 
imagine  from  what  I  have  already  said  of  her  sweet 
personality,  she  is  adored  the  length  and  breadth  of 
Italy.  To  be  sure  the  Italians  are  in  the  habit  of 
adoring   their   Queen,  for   they   have   loved   Queen 

[>5o] 


X 


o 

c 

X 


I— < 

O 

^: 


2 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Margherita  and  love  her  still,  with  an  affection  that 
few  Sovereigns  ever  receive  from  their  people.  But 
the  Italian  heart  is  large,  and  it  has  made  room  and 
generous  room  for  its  new  Queen,  so  young,  so  good 
and  so  lovable. 

The  King  is  equally  devoted  to  his  children,  and 
we  quite  often  read  in  the  morning  paper  of  the 
Royal  family  having  spent  the  day  in  the  country 
picnicking  together  at  one  of  their  palaces  in  the 
suburbs  of  Rome,  going  and  coming  in  a  large  auto- 
mobile, which  the  King  runs  himself.  He  is  very 
fond  of  motoring,  and  one  frequently  meets  the 
royal  couple  in  an  automobile  victoria.  Queen 
Margherita  was  very  much  pleased  with  her  son's 
marriage,  and  is  exceedingly  fond  of  her  beautiful 
daughter-in-law. 

Questions  of  precedence  are  always  very  delicate, 
but  in  the  case  of  the  two  Queens  of  Italy,  they  are 
unusually  so,  as  the  Queen  Dowager  is  a  handsome 
woman,  still  in  her  prime.  However,  Queen  Elena 
is  always  most  thoughtful  as  well  as  most  tactful, 
and  so  arranges  her  comings  and  goings  that  the 
Queen  Mother  is  almost  never  obliged  to  take  second 
place,  as,  of  course,  she  must  do  since  she  became 
Queen  Dowager.  I  have  noticed  at  various  concerts 
and  places,  where  the  two  Queens  are  to  be  present. 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

that  Queen  Elena  always  comes  or  goes  a  little  late  or 
a  little  early,  so  that  Queen  Margherita  may  make  her 
entry  and  take  her  leave  in  the  way  she  has  always 
been  accustomed  to  do ;  but  when  the  two  meet 
there  is  every  show  of  pleasant  affection  on  both 
sides. 

Queen  Elena  is  very  much  interested  in  the  In- 
dustrie Femminili,  and  a  few  days  ago  took  her  first 
walk  in  Rome  to  the  small  palazzo,  owned  and  built 
by  the  Industrial  Corporation.  She  asked  many 
questions  about  the  work,  bought  many  things,  and 
insisted  upon  returning  to  the  palace  on  foot.  Both 
the  King  and  Queen  are  distinctly  democratic  in 
their  ideas,  and  I  think  their  attitude  of  geniality 
has  done  much  to  allay  the  smouldering  fires  of 
socialism,  from  which  Italy  has  so  much  to  fear,  and 
which  is  a  constant  menace  to  the  otherwise  success- 
ful industrial  growth  of  the  country. 

As  Queen  Margherita  has  always  been  the  special 
patroness  of  music  in  Italy,  Queen  Elena  has  not 
disturbed  this  patronage,  and  is  careful  not  to  inter- 
fere with  the  musical  interests  of  the  Queen  Mother, 
or  with  any  organization  which  has  always  received 
Queen  Margherita's  patronage.  Consequently, 
many  people  have  been  led  to  believe  that  she  is 
not  musical,  nor  particularly  fond  of  music,  but  this 

[152] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

is  quite  erroneous.  At  present  she  is  only  too  happy 
to  devote  much  of  her  time  to  her  little  family,  for 
she  knows  that  no  one  could  do  more  than  Queen 
Margherita  to  encourage  Italian  Art  in  all  its  branches. 
However,  when  occasion  offers,  she  never  fails  to 
show  her  keen  interest  in  the  art  and  music  of  Italy, 
and  manifests  the  greatest  interest  in  the  work  of 
modern  Italian  artists,  exhibited  each  year  at  the 
National  Gallery  at  Rome.  On  these  occasions  the 
King  and  Queen  formally  open  the  exhibition,  and 
I  am  told  that  the  Queen  is  always  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  work  of  the  young  and  rising  artists. 
Queen  Margherita  has  always  been  the  protecting 
goddess  of  the  St.  Cecilia  Society,  and  Queen  Elena 
is  rarely  seen  at  one  of  these  concerts;  but  if  an 
artist  of  great  fame  visits  Rome,  a  special  concert  is 
almost  invariably  arranged  for  Queen  Elena's  per- 
sonal enjoyment. 

Queen  Elena  is  one  of  the  best  shots  in  Italy,  and 
invariably  accompanies  the  King  on  his  hunting  ex- 
peditions ;  she  is  also  a  fine  horsewoman,  and  her 
little  daughters  are  already  beginning  to  ride. 

One  of  the  Italian  ladies,  who  is  interested  in 
many  charities,  told  me  that  when  Queen  Elena 
visited  a  certain  school  for  poor  children,  not  long 
ago,  the  poor  women  outside  of  the  school,  mothers 

['S3] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

of  the  children,  many  of  them,  formed  a  line  on 
both  sides  of  the  path  leading  from  the  school  to 
the  Royal  carriage,  and  as  the  Queen  passed,  bent 
and  kissed  her  dress.  "  You  can  have  no  idea  how 
the  poor  people  adore  our  Queen,"  the  lady  said  to 
me,  and  well  they  may,  for  Queen  Elena  is  in  every 
way  adorable. 


[154] 


XXI 

To  C.  R. 

Rome,  Italy,  February  19,  1905 
My  dear  C, : 

WHOM  do  you  think  I  sat  beside  last  night 
at  the  opera  ?  Mme.  Ternina,  and  we 
had  great  fun  talking  over  the  new  opera 
that  we  were  both  interested  to  hear  —  Celia's 
"  Adrienne  Lecouvreur/*  Mme.  Krusceniski,  the 
young  Polish  soprano,  sang  beautifully,  but  Ternina 
said  she  was  straining  her  voice  very  much,  and  I 
thought  so,  too.  She  sings,  as  a  rule,  three  or  four 
nights  a  week,  which  of  course  is  a  great  strain,  as  she 
is  quite  young  and  takes  very  heavy  roles.  We  shall 
not  have  the  luck  to  hear  Ternina  in  Rome,  for  she  is 
travelling  this  winter  for  pleasure,  and  not  singing  at  all. 
This  afternoon  R.'s  mother  took  us  for  a  lovely 
drive,  away  out  on  the  Via  Nomentana  as  far  as  the 
old  bridge  with  the  Mediaeval  tower,  where  we  had 
a  lovely  view  of  the  river  Teverone,  winding  through 
the  Campagna.  We  went  out  through  the  Porta 
Pia,  and  passed  the  place  marked    with   the  great 

{^55] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

tablet  where  the  ItaHan  army  under  Gen.  Cadorna  en- 
tered Rome  on  the  20th  of  September,  1870.  A 
new  suburb  is  springing  up  outside  of  this  gate,  and 
there  are  many  handsome  villas  being  built  here. 
Then  we  drove  out  to  the  church  of  Sant'  Agnese 
Fuori  le  Mura.  This  old  church  was  built  by  Con- 
stantine  over  the  tomb  of  St.  Agnes,  and  retains 
many  characteristics  of  the  early  Christian  basilica. 
Just  before  we  reached  the  entrance,  R.  pointed  out 
in  the  court  to  the  right,  through  a  large  window,  a 
dreadful  fresco  in  commemoration  of  what  is  called 
the  miracle  of  Pius  IX.  It  seems  that  on  the  1 5th 
of  April,  1855,  the  floor  of  the  room  adjoining 
the  church,  where  the  Pope  had  returned  after 
mass,  gave  way,  and  Pio  Nono  was  precipitated  into 
the  cellar;  because  he  was  extricated  unhurt,  he 
announced  that  he  had  performed  a  miracle. 

We  went  down  into  the  church  which  is  really 
underground,  and  the  sixth  century  mosaics  and  old 
pillars  were  quite  interesting.  On  our  way  up  a 
small  baby  was  violently  protesting  at  baptism;  the 
calm  priest  paid  no  attention  to  the  poor  infant's 
screaming,  but  continued  his  services  in  Latin,  dash- 
ing cold  water  regardless  on  the  baby's  head  at  the 
approved  and  proper  moment. 

There  are  some  catacombs  to  be  seen  here,  but  I 

['56] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

have  never  been  willing  to  go  down  into  these  damp, 
grewsome  places. 

It  was  a  heavenly  day,  warm  and  bright  with  sun- 
shine, and  off  to  the  right  Signor  A.  pointed  out  the 
little  hill-towns  of  Frascati,  Albano  and  Nemi,  while 
the  snow-capped  Alban  mountains  formed  a  beauti- 
ful background  for  the  picture. 

On  our  way  back  into  Rome  we  passed  the  villa  of 
the  poet  Leopardi,  and  then  R.  insisted  on  our  going 
down  to  the  Corso  for  tea.  We  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  getting  a  table  at  the  Cafe  Nazionale, 
and  some  difficulty  in  getting  into  the  restaurant 
at  all,  for  at  this  hour  of  the  day  the  Corso 
is  very  crowded,  and  there  is  a  regular  parade  of  car- 
riages. All  the  dandies  in  Rome,  young  and  old, 
assemble  near  this  big  tea  place  about  five  o'clock. 
It  is  really  quite  brilliant,  and  many  of  the  people 
take  a  liqueur  or  something  else  at  little  tables,  out- 
side of  the  restaurant,  in  spite  of  the  cold.  How 
they  can  stand  it  I  do  not  see! 

We  had  scarcely  reached  home  when  Countess 
Bruschi  called;  she  is  a  perfect  beauty,  and  has  such 
sweet  manners;  they  say  the  Queen  is  very  fond  of 
her  and  as  one  of  the  Ladies-of-Honor  to  Her 
Majesty  she  is  often  at  the  palace,  even  when  not 
de  service. 


XXII 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  February  20,  1905 

My  dear  M. : 

YOUR  letters  are  full  of  questions  about  my 
music,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  I  have  been 
singing  a  good  deal  of  late.  Last  week 
our  Ambassador  gave  a  brilliant  reception,  and  asked 
me  if  I  would  sing.  People  were  really  enthusiastic 
about  my  voice ;  when  I  finished  the  aria  from  the 
"  Magic  Flute,"  a  well  known  gentleman  from  Phila- 
delphia, standing  near  F.  B.,  said  to  him  in  a  very 
earnest  manner,  "  Really  a  remarkable  voice,  don't 
you  think  so?"  F.  B.  laughed  and  said,  "Well, 
yes,  I  enjoy  hearing  it  every  day ;  the  singer  is  my 
wife."  This  aria  always  seems  to  surprise  and  please 
people.  It  is  written  so  high  that  almost  no  one 
living  sings  it  in  the  original  key.  Mozart's  wife 
and  his  wife's  sister,  had,  as  you  know,  exceptionally 
high  voices.  The  Ambassador  was  very  charming 
and  presented  me  to  many  of  his  guests.  Lady 
Egerton,  the  wife  of  the  British  Ambassador,  left 

[158] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

early,  as  the  news  of  the  murder  of  the  Grand  Duke 
Sergius  became  known,  and  as  she  was  a  Russian 
Princess  before  her  marriage,  she  wished,  of  course, 
to  retire  as  soon  as  possible.  However,  she  was  kind 
enough  to  wait  until  I  had  finished  singing,  and  did 
me  the  honor  to  ask  me  to  visit  her  and  sing 
with  her.  I  am  sure  I  shall  enjoy  making  music 
with  her,  as  she  expressed  it,  as  I  am  told  she  is 
a  very  fine  pianist,  and  a  woman  of  rare  culture 
and  talent. 

This  same  evening  I  met  the  Duchess  of  Sermo- 
neta,  who  was  one  of  the  beautiful  Misses  Wil- 
braham  of  the  family  of  the  Earls  of  Lathom.  She 
is  very  fond  of  music,  and  spoke  very  charmingly  of 
my  singing.  One  of  her  sons  is  a  successful  com- 
poser, I  am  told,  and  spends  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  in  Paris.  The  Duchess  is  still  a  handsome 
woman,  and  the  other  evening  was  wearing  the  fa- 
mous Sermoneta  pearls,  the  largest  in  the  world,  I 
believe. 

The  Caetani  family  is  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished in  Italy,  and  has  given  two  Popes  to  the 
Church;  one  in  1118  as  Pope  Gelasius  II,  while 
Benedetto  Caetani,  in  1294,  became  the  celebrated 
Pope  Boniface  VIII.  The  papacy  at  that  time  had 
fallen  much  in  the  general  esteem  of  the  nations, 

['59] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

chiefly  because  of  a  succession  of  weak  pontiffs,  who 
had  one  after  the  other  filled  the  papal  chair. 

Benedetto  Caetani,  the  ablest  of  the  Cardinals, 
at  last  succeeded  in  having  himself  declared  Pope,  as 
Boniface  VIII.  His  path  to  the  pontifical  chair 
had  not  been  strewn  with  roses,  and  his  reign  was 
one  long  strife  for  the  complete  supremacy  of  the 
papal  monarchy.  He  was  an  ambitious  and  ener- 
getic man  of  undoubted  ability,  who  fully  realized 
the  importance  and  power  of  his  great  position  as 
the  head  of  Christendom,  but  the  political  tendencies 
of  the  time  were  changing.  The  crusades  were  over, 
and  gun-powder  and  cannon  were  soon  to  be  heard 
on  the  battlefield.  Poor  man,  he  could  not  bend 
nor  yield  to  the  growing  power  of  the  temporal 
kingdoms,  but  persisted  in  fighting  to  the  end.  He 
was  a  fighter  from  the  start,  yet,  in  a  way,  he  had  to 
struggle  to  maintain  his  position.  He  crushed  the 
powerful  Colonna  family,  and  seized  their  great 
stronghold  of  Palestrina ;  the  Colonna  Cardinals  were 
deposed,  and  the  family  reduced  to  beggary  and  exiled 
to  France.  He  issued  the  famous  Bulls,  "  De  Clericis 
Laicos  "  against  Philip  IV  of  France,  in  which  he  de- 
clared all  church  property  exempt  from  taxation,  and 
"  Unam  Sanctam,'*  which  boldly  asserted  his  supreme 
temporal  power.     Philip  retaliated  by  expelling  the 

[,6o] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

papal  legate  from  France,  and  Boniface  answered  by 
excommunication.  But  to  the  popular  Philip  le  Bel 
excommunication  mattered  little,  and  the  French 
nation  took  the  part  of  their  King.  Then  an 
alliance  was  made  between  the  French  and  the  Co- 
lonnas,  who  were  only  too  delighted  to  have  an  op- 
portunity of  wreaking  vengeance,  and  poor  Boniface 
paid  dearly  for  his  arrogance;  indeed,  he  barely  es- 
caped death  at  the  hands  of  Sciarra  Colonna,  who 
was  with  difficulty  prevented  from  slaying  the  old 
Pope  on  his  throne.  He  was  at  Anagni,  his  birth- 
place and  summer  residence,  when  told  of  the  ap- 
proaching army ;  like  the  Roman  senators  of  old, 
Boniface  dressed  himself  in  his  pontifical  robes, 
placed  his  tiara  on  his  head,  and  with  the  keys  of  St. 
Peter  in  one  hand  and  the  crozier  in  the  other,  took 
his  seat  on  the  papal  throne,  and  awaited  the  ap- 
proach of  his  enemies.  He  was  ordered  to  abdicate 
upon  pain  of  death,  but  he  proudly  answered,  "  Be- 
hold my  neck,  behold  my  head !  "  His  own  people 
could  not  bear  to  see  their  aged  pontiff  carried  off 
to  prison;  they  rose  and  drove  out  the  soldiers,  and 
the  pontiff's  return  to  Rome  was  a  triumphal  march. 
In  1300  he  inaugurated  the  first  papal  jubilee, 
when  pilgrims  flocked  from  all  parts  of  Christendom 
to  the  Eternal  City;  and   countless   gifts  were   laid 

[161] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

upon  the  altar  of  St.  Peter's,  while  the  coins  had  actu- 
ally to  be  raked  up,  so  devout  was  the  joy  with  which 
the  faithful  received  the  blessing  of  the  church. 
Nevertheless,  his  ascendancy  was  not  to  last  long. 
Worn  out  with  the  fearful  trials  of  his  reign,  and 
the  privations  that  he  had  suffered,  he  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-six.  Boniface  had  many  enemies,  but  the 
great  pope  stands  out  withal  a  noble  figure.  He 
was  the  last  champion  of  the  age  of  chivalry,  and 
fought  to  the  last  against  the  new  life  of  a  new  era. 
The  papal  dream  of  universal  monarchy  vanished 
forever  with  him. 

The  Caetani  in  their  turn  lost  their  lands  through 
the  Borgia  Pope,  Alexander  VI,  but  recovered  them 
again  under  the  warlike  Pope  Julius  II,  and  thence- 
forth down  to  the  present  day  the  family  has  remained 
rich  and  powerful.  The  Caetani  of  to-day  have  all 
the  traditional  family  wit  and  talents ;  Michelangelo, 
the  blind  father  of  the  present  Duke,  was  he  who 
carried  to  Victor  Emmanuel  II  the  plebiscite  of  the 
Roman  people.  It  is  a  little  singular  that  the  eldest 
son  of  the  present  Duke  of  Sermoneta,  the  Prince  of 
Teano,  should  choose  for  his  bride  the  beautiful  Prin- 
cess with  the  historic  name  of  Vittoria  Colonna.  To 
think  that  the  descendants  of  two  such  powerful  enemies 
should  come  together  after  so  many  centuries  in  per- 

[162] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

feet  harmony !  It  is  very  interesting  to  me  that  there 
are  so  many  names  in  one  family.  You  would  not 
think  in  speaking  of  the  Duke  of  Sermoneta,  the 
Prince  of  Teano,  the  Prince  of  Bassiano  and  Don 
G.  Caetani  that  you  were  alluding  to  a  father  and 
three  sons,  would  you? 

I  passed  a  delightful  evening  a  short  time  ago  with 
the  present  Duke's  sister,  Ersilia,  Countess  Lovatelli, 
who  is  said  to  have  the  most  literary  salon  in  Rome. 
Her  palace  is  beautiful,  with  large,  high  rooms,  hung 
in  various  shades  of  brocade,  and  ornamented  with 
rare  and  costly  bric-a-brac.  It  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  thoroughly  heated  in  Rome ;  that  seems  a  queer 
thing  to  speak  of  as  a  special  distinction  of  a  palace, 
but  I  assure  you,  if  you  could  go  into  some  of  the 
cold  palaces  here,  you  would  think  it  a  very  proper 
one.  The  Countess  is  a  great  archaeologist  and  a 
charming  authoress.  Young  Professor  Helbig  was 
kind  enough  to  take  us  to  her  palace,  and  made  the 
introduction  to  the  Countess  on  behalf  of  his  mother, 
who  goes  out  very  little  in  the  evening.  The  Coun- 
tess received  us  charmingly,  and  presented  me  to 
numerous  literary  men  of  distinction — Italian,  French 
and  German.  Our  evening  was  so  pleasant  and  our 
invitation  to  return  so  cordial,  that  we  have  been  sev- 
eral times  to  her  palace,  and  yesterday  she  sent  me 

[163] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

one  of  her  novels  with  a  charming  dedication.  The 
Countess,  who  is  a  very  tall,  handsome  woman,  with 
black  hair  and  eyes,  presents  a  striking  contrast  to 
her  sister-in-law,  the  Duchess,  who  is  tall  and  fair, 
with  lovely  blue  eyes  and  the  brilliant  complexion  of 
the  best  type  of  the  English  beauty. 

The  Duchess  made  a  most  charming  hostess  her- 
self a  few  days  later,  when  we  went  to  take  tea  with 
her  in  her  wonderful  Caetani  palace,  situated  in  one  of 
the  old  parts  of  Rome,  in  a  little  square  that  bears  the 
family  name.  We  were  received  quite  in  the  Eng- 
lish fashion  and  she  poured  the  tea  herself.  She 
presented  her  brother-in-law,  the  Earl  of  Crawford, 
who  is  about  to  start  off  on  his  yacht,  the  "Valhalla," 
to  take  part  in  the  great  ocean  yacht  race,  which 
comes  off  very  shortly,  I  believe.  He  and  F.  B. 
were  soon  interested  in  discussing  the  contesting 
yachts,  while  the  Duchess  presented  me  to  the  Coun- 
tess Lutzow,the  Ambassadress  from  Austria- Hungary 
to  the  Quirinal.  I  have  not  yet  met  the  Austro- 
Hungarian  Ambassadress  to  the  Vatican,  who  lives 
in  the  famous  Venetian  palace  that  Austria  clung  to 
after  her  expulsion  from  Italy;  but  I  am  told  that  the 
Countess  Szecsen  di  Temerin  is  very  charming  and 
fond  of  music. 

[164] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Just  as  we  were  saying  good-bye  to  the  Duchess, 
Mrs.  W.  K.  V.  and  her  sister  entered,  and  I  was 
struck  by  the  fact  that  in  that  famous  old  palace  of 
Italy  not  a  word  of  Italian  had  been  spoken  during 
the  whole  afternoon;  the  Duchess,  as  well  as  many 
of  her  guests,  were  English;  the  Austrian  Ambassa- 
dress, I  was  told,  had  an  English  mother,  and  the 
four  Americans  quite  completed  the  Anglo-Saxon 
party.  But  this  Anglo-Saxon  impression  was  quite 
done  away  with  as  we  passed  through  one  after  the 
other  of  the  beautiful  series  of  drawing  rooms.  These 
were  hung  with  old  Gobelin  and  Flemish  tapestries, 
decorated  with  stately  mirrors,  statues,  pictures,  old 
and  new,  beautiful  frescoes,  and  furnished  with  rare 
pieces  of  Chinese  ebony,  Indian  teak  wood  and  many 
old  Italian  and  French  pieces,  that  showed  every 
evidence  of  great  wealth,  extensive  travel  and  most 
excellent  taste.  We  also  passed  through  the  large  and 
beautifully  tapestried  gallery,  where  one  could  easily 
imagine  that  in  the  olden  times  the  great  feudal 
lords  of  the  family  received  the  homage  of  their 
vassals,  and  sat  in  judgment  on  them.  The  power 
of  life  and  death  was  in  their  hands,  and  in  those  by- 
gone days  they  did  not  hesitate  to  use  it.  From 
this  gallery  we  were  conducted  to  a  large  entrance 

[i6s] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

hall,  where  flunkies  in  picturesque  liveries  and  pow- 
dered hair  helped  us  with  our  wraps.  An  imposing 
porter,  looking  much  like  an  American  drum-major, 
escorted  us  to  our  carriage.  "Avantiy*  he  called  loudly 
to  our  coachman,  and  the  carriage  rumbled  out  un- 
der the  great  stone  archway  through  the  Piazza 
Caetani  and  into  the  street  of  the  Botteghe  Scure 
(obscure  shops),  where  no  sidewalks  were  ever  built, 
because  the  street  was  all  the  peasants  required,  and 
the  grand  ** Seigneurs**  of  the  palace  never  walked 
abroad. 

I  had  such  a  pleasant  afternoon  that  I  am  looking 
forward  to  meeting  the  Duchess  again.  I  read  the 
other  day  an  account  of  the  famous  fancy  dress  ball 
she  once  gave  in  honor  of  Their  Majesties,  .King 
Umberto  and  Queen  Margherita.  It  must  have  been 
a  brilliant  sight  to  see  the  great  assembly  of  the 
Kings,  Queens  and  Princes  of  Europe  in  that  won- 
derful old  palace;  but  I  am  sure,  that  no  one  was 
more  beautiful  than  the  hostess  herself,  unless,  per- 
haps. Her  Majesty,  Queen  Margherita,  who  is  so 
lovely  on  all  occasions. 

You  will  be  interested  to  know  that  Prof.  Sgam- 
bati  has  composed  for  me  a  fine  cello  obligate  for 
one  of  his  songs,  and  he  played  my  accompaniments 

[1 66] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

when  I  sang  at  Mrs.  McGee's  villa  the  other  day. 
Mrs.  McGee's  charming  home  is  a  sort  of  a  Mecca 
for  Americans  who  come  here,  and  at  her  Saturday- 
afternoons  you  will  find  all  the  Americans  in  Rome, 
de  passage  or  otherwise.  She  is  fond  of  music  and 
seemed  very  pleased  to  have  me  sing  for  her.  Thanks 
to  her  thoughtfulness,  the  arrangements  were  per- 
fect, and  she  made  the  people  coming  and  going 
keep  very  quiet.  Mrs.  McGee  is  a  very  kind-hearted 
rich  woman,  who  has  already  made  herself  much 
liked  here  among  the  Italians,  as  well  as  in  the 
American  colony.  She  gives  delightful  dinners  and 
balls,  and  has  contributed  most  generously,  I  am  told, 
to  many  of  the  Italian  charities. 

We  met  such  an  attractive  American  this  p.  m., 
the  Marchesa  di  Sorbello,  who  was  Romaine  Roberts 
before  her  marriage,  and  she  has  asked  us  to  come 
and  see  her.  She  knows  many  of  our  friends 
at  home,  I  find,  and  I  have  often  noticed,  on  our 
way  to  the  Pincio,  her  palace  in  the  Piazza  del 
Popolo. 

We  are  going  out  now  to  call  on  the  Countess 
Zaccaria  of  Milan,  who  is  staying  at  the  Palace  Hotel 
for  the  winter.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  sweet, 
pretty  daughters,  and  she  showed  me  a  photograph 

[167] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

of  her  mother,  the  Duchess  Melzi  d'Eril,  that  looks 
ever  so  much  like  you. 

We  met  there  the  other  day  the  lovely  Duchess 
Visconti  di  Modrone  from  Milan.  Visconti  is  closely 
connected  in  my  mind  with  History  I.  in  Radcliffe, 
and  I  was  interested  to  meet  a  member  of  this  very 
famous  family.  The  Duchess  does  n't  remind  one  of 
olden  times,  I  assure  you,  for  she  is  about  as  chic 
and  handsome  as  anyone  could  wish.  She  has  large 
dark  eyes,  black  hair  and  a  fine  figure,  which  she 
dresses  to  perfection  in  lovely  gowns.  She  had  just 
met  some  Americans  who  had  recently  come  to 
Rome  and  asked  me  all  about  them. 

Let  the  idea  that  Italy  is  poor  leave  your  sympa- 
thetic mind.  If  you  could  see  some  of  the  exqui- 
site up-to-date  toilettes  that  these  Italian  beauties 
wear,  you  would  exclaim  as  I  do,  with  a  series  of 
adjectives  before  each  new  vision.  Jewels  may  be 
kept  for  years,  I  know,  and  the  jewels  here  in  Rome 
go  ahead  of  any  I  have  ever  seen;  but  clothes,  my 
dear,  we  know  too  well,  are  out-dated  in  a  year, 
generally  in  six  months. 

The  Visconti,  as  they  say  here,  is  extremely  ani' 
mated,  and  wherever  she  goes  in  the  evening,  she 
moves  about  with  a  little  court  of  admirers,  who  fol- 

[i68] 


M  la  nviooHV 


--»«»KaRS'iKi**eiB«»*"'"^- 


£ 


/ 


iCSS  Mt 

V  c  met  there  the  other  day   th- 
mti  di  M'  [ilan.  Visconti  is 

connected  ji  History  I.  in  Rark^liffe, 

and  I  wa"?  i'.iterf-'ft'-  nember  of  tj. 

lani.  ^^'t  remind  one 

cldf  hoiit  as   ' 


THE  DUCHESS  VISCONTI  DI  MODRONE 

symtW- 


COPYRIGHT,  1909,  Br  TRYPHOS*  BATES  BATCMEtLtR 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

low  devotedly  after  her.  I  must  stop,  for  my  pen 
runs  riot  when  I  start  talking  about  these  fascinating 
women. 

Au  revoir,  dear,  love  to   "Dad,"  "Tip'*    and  the 
friends  at  home. 


[169] 


XXIII 
To  C.  R. 

Rome,  Italy,  February  22,  1905 

My  dear  C: 

I  SUPPOSE  we  should  all  feel  properly  patriotic 
this  morning,  but  I  have  reserved  my  patri- 
otism for  this  afternoon,  when  we  are  going  to 
the  reception  at  the  Embassy.  This  morning  we 
had  the  rare  good  luck  to  have  tickets  sent  us  (R.  is 
ever  kind),  to  the  opening  of  the  Palazzo  delle 
Belle  Arti,  by  Their  Majesties  the  King  and  Queen. 
We  were  told  that  it  was  simply  impossible  to  get 
tickets,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  be,  and  we  had  a 
beautiful  time.  The  Queen  was  lovely  as  ever,  in  a 
dark  blue  street  gown,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the 
pictures  very  much.  Count  San  Martino,  who  is 
President  of  the  Societa  degli  Amatori  e  Cultori  di 
Belle  Arti,  received  Their  Majesties  and  showed  them 
about  the  rooms  of  the  exposition. 

There  were  really  a  great  many  fine  pictures  ; 
those  that  interested  us  most  were  by  Sartorio.  A 
whole  room  was  given  up  to  his  pictures  that  seemed 

[170] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

to  be  of  all  kinds  and  styles.  His  water  colors  were 
beautiful,  some  of  his  animal  sketches  extraordinary, 
and  his  landscapes  unusually  fine,  we  thought. 
There  were  some  very  weird  pictures  by  Stetson,  of 
Pasadena,  Cal.,  a  few  good  portraits,  a  lovely  water 
color  by  Gabrini,  and  some  excellent  pieces  of  sculp- 
ture. As  a  whole  the  exposition  was  excellent  in 
every  way,  and  we  mean  to  run  in  often  to  get  better 
acquainted  with  some  of  these  artists'  work. 

On  the  way  home  we  stopped  in  for  a  moment  to 
see  the  wonderful  Bambino  at  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  of  Aracoeli,  that  is  supposed  to  perform  such 
miraculous  cures.  The  little  olive  wood  baby  is 
loaded  down  with  votive  offerings  of  the  faithful. 
Our  time  was  limited,  so  we  could  not  stay  long,  but 
we  mean  to  come  again  to  see  the  other  interesting 
things  in  the  church,  where  the  remains  of  St.  Helena 
are  supposed  to  lie  in  an  ancient  porphyry  sar- 
cophagus under  the  altar. 

As  we  drove  back  to  the  hotel  we  passed  the  im- 
mensely extensive  monument  that  is  being  erected  to 
Victor  Emmanuel  II.  It  will  be  most  imposing 
when  done,  but  it  is  far  from  complete  at  present. 

We  have  just  come  in  from  the  Washington's  Birth- 
day reception  at  our  Embassy.     A  large  portrait  of 

[171] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

George  Washington  was  arranged  in  one  of  the 
rooms,  and  one  would  scarcely  believe  that  there 
were  so  many  Americans  in  Rome,  as  we  met  to- 
day. 

Mrs.  Meyer  looked  extremely  well  in  a  plain 
black  velvet  gown,  that  was  most  becoming  to  her 
blonde  coloring.  She  has  a  fine  figure  and  usually 
wears  simply-made  gowns  of  elegant  cut  and 
material,  with  the  result  that  she  always  looks  very 
well  dressed;  she  carries  herself  beautifully.  These 
are  her  last  days  in  Rome,  where  she  has  entertained 
so  much,  and  has  had  such  a  good  time  for  the  past 
few  years,  for  Mr.  Meyer  has  received  his  appoint- 
ment as  Ambassador  to  St.  Petersburg. 

I  cannot  begin  to  tell  you  all  the  people  I  saw, 
but  there  were  a  number  of  Americans,  just  passing 
through  Rome,  with  whom  I  exchanged  greetings. 
Alice,  and  Julia  Meyer  (very  attractive  girls  they 
are)  looked  after  me  at  the  tea  table,  and  I  think  in 
spite  of  the  large  number  of  people  there,  I  saw  only 
two  or  three  who  were  not  Americans.  Monsignore 
O'Connell  was  presented  to  me,  and  looked  so  fine  in 
his  dark  purple  soutane  and  red  cap,  that  I  addressed 
him  in  French  at  first,  but  he  smilingly  said,  "  Plain, 
straight  English,  please,  I  come  from  Maine.'*  He 
is  a  very  interesting  man,  has  lived  in  Rome  a  great 

[172] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

deal,    and  for  some  time  was    connected  with    the 
American  Catholic  Seminary  here. 

The  Brancaccio  palace  is  quite  a  distance  from  us, 
and  as  we  are  dining  out  to-night  and  going  to  the 
gala  performance  of  the  opera  afterwards,  we  hurried 
away  home  rather  early. 


[173] 


XXIV 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  February  23,  1905 

My  dear  M.: 

THANKS  to  Donna  Bice  Tittoni,  who  so 
kindly  secured  us  seats,  we  attended  the  gala 
performance  at  the  opera  last  evening.  I 
think  the  custom  of  using  the  word  "Donna**  before 
a  lady's  name  is  very  pretty.  The  performance  was 
given  for  the  benefit  of  the  National  Institute  for  the 
Orphans  and  Civil  Employees  of  the  State  of  the 
Province  of  Rome  and  of  the  Naval  League.  The 
management  of  the  Costanzi  Theatre,  where  the 
opera  is  now  given  here,  gave  a  very  saticfactory 
performance  of  Aida,  and  the  Polish  soprano,  Mme. 
Krusceniski,  sang  her  music  most  effectively.  The 
tenor,  Signor  Zenatello,  was  unusually  fine,  and  I 
presume  it  will  not  be  long  before  he  is  heard  at 
Covent  Garden.  Good  tenors  are  very  rare,  and  so 
many  of  the  best  ones  seem  to  come  from  Italy. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  act.  Their  Majesties  the  King 
and  Queen   arrived,  accompanied  by  the  Duke  and 

['74] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Duchess  of  Ascoli.  Every  seat  in  the  great  theatre 
was  filled,  and  when  the  orchestra  played  the  Royal 
Hymn,  as  the  King  and  Queen  entered,  the  applause 
was  fairly  deafening. 

Her  Majesty  wore  a  black  lace  gown,  somewhat 
spangled  with  jet,  a  band  of  black  velvet  about  her 
throat  holding  in  place  a  jeweled />/tf^a^  coulant^  a  dia- 
mond necklace,  and  a  diamond  star  in  her  beautiful 
hair.  She  wore  black,  I  suppose,  as  the  Court  has 
gone  into  half  mourning  for  a  short  time  for  the 
Grand  Duke  Sergius.  Of  course,  you  read  about  his 
frightful  death  in  the  papers  at  home,  and  you  will 
recall  that  Queen  Elena  lived  in  Russia  several  years, 
and  was  much  beloved  and  admired  at  the  Russian 
Court.  I  think  on  account  of  the  Court  mourning, 
everyone  dressed  rather  more  quietly  than  usual,  so 
while  the  audience  was  very  interesting,  and  not 
nearly  i  veryone  was  in  black,  still  one  was  distinctly 
conscious  of  an  effort  to  be  less  gay  than  usual. 

Donna  Bice  was  looking  particularly  handsome  in 
her  box,  and  the  Countess  Gianotti,  always  elegant, 
was  in  another  box  with  her  pretty  daughter,  Mar- 
cella.  In  the  Court  box  I  noticed  His  Excellency 
Count  Gianotti,  a  most  distinguished-looking  man 
with  his  very  white  hair  and  soldierly  bearing ;  Mar- 
chese  Cappelli  was  in  the  Hunt  Club  box;  and  Don 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Marcantonio  Colonna  was  also  pointed  out  to  me.  I 
had  no  idea  that  such  good  opera  was  given  in  Rome, 
and  F.  B.  and  I  are  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  en- 
joying some  pleasant  evenings  at  the  Costanzi  during 
the  rest  of  the  season. 

To-morrow  morning  I  am  going  to  sing  over  some 
of  Sgambati's  songs  with  the  great  man  himself.  He 
has  offered  to  come  over  and  play  his  own  songs  and 
other  music  with  me  two  or  three  times  a  week.  It 
will  be  a  delightful  privilege,  and  I  think  he  is  most 
kind.  He  and  the  Signora  are  dining  with  us  in- 
formally to-morrow  evening,  and  I  will  write  again 
very  soon. 


[176] 


XXV 

To  C.  R. 

Rome,  Italy,  March  2,  1905 

My  dear  C. : 

IT  is  high  carnival  here  now,  and  balls  and  gay- 
eties  of  all  kinds  are  following  one  another  in 
quick  succession.  Everyone  tells  us  that  the 
carnival  is  nothing  to  what  it  used  to  be,  when  the 
noble  Roman  ladies  drove  about  masked,  in  their 
private  carriages,  scattering  sweetmeats  and  flowers 
to  the  crowds  around  them ;  but  it  seems  rather  gay 
to  us  as  it  is. 

Yesterday  afternoon  when  we  took  our  drive  on 
the  Pincio,  we  passed  several  groups  of  gaily  costumed 
girls  and  boys.  Some  were  dressed  as  follies,  with 
whitened  faces,  looking  exactly  like  escaped  clowns 
from  a  circus,  while  others  had  mediaeval  costumes 
with  much  tinsel  and  cotton  velvet ;  and  all  wore 
masks.  But  fashionable  carnival  is  held  behind 
palace  gates,  or  in  elegant  amateur  theatricals. 

We  went  masked  to  the  Argentina  theatre  the 
other  night,  where  we  had  a  box,  that  we  might  see 

[^77] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

a  little  of  the  people's  carnival  fiin.  Several  of  our 
friends  had  come  masked,  like  ourselves,  into  boxes 
near-by,  and  we  had  much  amusement  trying  to  dis- 
cover who  was  who.  About  midnight  crowds  of 
maskers  came  on  to  the  floor,  which  was  built  up 
level  with  the  stage,  thus  covering  the  orchestra  seats 
entirely.  There  were  some  very  pretty  costumes 
among  the  dancers,  and  a  prize  in  money  was  offered  for 
the  most  effective  and  becoming  one.  A  girl  dressed 
as  a  Spanish  dancer  won  the  prize,  and  she  really 
looked  very  pretty  in  the  bright  reds  and  yellows, 
that  contrasted  well  with  her  black  hair  and  eyes. 

We  bought  bundles  of  confetti  and  packages  of 
serpentine,  which  we  tied  to  numerous  small  boxes  of 
candies  that  we  threw  down  into  the  crowd  below, 
and  it  was  great  fun  watching  the  scramble  for  the 
goodies.  Suddenly  the  crowd  surged  towards  one 
box,  and  on  looking  closer  we  discovered  that  the 
beautiful  Cavalieri  was  throwing  flowers  and  sweet- 
meats to  an  eager,  admiring  throng.  She  certainly 
is  exceedingly  beautiful,  and  they  say  she  sings  very 
well  in  Grand  Opera  now.  A  gentleman  told  me, 
who  knows  a  good  deal  about  her,  that  she  is  a  great 
student,  and  has  worked  fearfully  hard  to  win  a 
position  in  the  world  of  serious  music.  It  surely  is  a 
great  jump- from  the  Folies  Bergeres  to  Grand  Opera. 

[178] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

As  I  think  I  wrote  you.  Countess  Bruschi  obtained 
for  us  cards  to  what  they  call  here  a  Bal  de  TeteSy 
and  what  we  should  call  a  fancy  dress  ball.  I  am  so 
sorry  that  I  did  not  bring  my  "Manon  costume,'* 
that  I  wore  to  the  Artists'  Festival  in  Boston,  as  it 
would  have  been  exactly  the  thing  for  last  night. 
However,  it  was  not  obligatory  to  go  in  costume,  or 
even  to  powder  the  hair,  if  one  did  not  wish  to  do  so, 
and  once  there,  I  felt  quite  comfortable  as  there  were 
many  other  ladies  not  in  fancy  dress.  I  wore  my 
violet  spangled  gown,  as  it  is  so  brilliant,  and  as  so 
many  of  the  costumes  were  very  gay,  a  dull  gown 
would  have  been  quite  lost,  however  pretty. 

The  ball  was  given  at  the  Grand  Hotel  for  the  benefit 
of  the  charity,  called  Pro  Infantia,  The  patronesses 
were  among  the  most  prominent  women  in  Rome: 
Donna  Bice  Tittoni,  the  Countess  Suardi,  who  is  pres- 
ident of  the  Industrie  Femminili ;  the  Countess 
della  Somaglia,  who  before  her  marriage  was  a  prin- 
cess of  the  famous  Doria  family;  the  Princess  Doria 
Pamphilj,  who,  besides  her  most  lovely  Roman  palace, 
presides  over  the  exquisite  Villa  Doria,  the  Marchesa 
Bourbon  del  Monte,  who  is  such  a  fine  horsewoman, 
the  beautiful  Marchesa  Carlo  di  Rudini,  a  daughter- 
in-law  of  Her  Excellency,  the  Marchesa  Leone  di 
Rudini ;  the  Marchesa  Monaldi,  a  charming  English 

[179] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

woman ;  the  Duchess  di  Terranova,  who  is  of 
Spanish  birth,  and  Donna  Maria  Mazzoleni,  a  sister- 
in-law  of  Countess  Bruschi.  Then,  of  course,  there 
are  others  whom  I  do  not  know,  and  whose  names  I 
will  not  stop  to  write  now.  Under  such  distin- 
guished patronage  the  success  of  the  ball  was  de- 
termined beforehand,  and  we  were  very  glad  to  have 
an  opportunity  to  see  it. 

The  Grand  Hotel  is  particularly  well  adapted  for 
balls  and  entertainments  of  a  large  nature,  because 
the  spacious  Palm  Garden,  which  forms  a  sort  of  en- 
trance to  the  hotel  is  connected  directly  with  the 
ball-room  beyond.  We  really  had  a  very  pleasant 
evening,  and  F.  B.  and  I  were  perfectly  delighted  to 
have  a  good  waltz  together.  R.  went  with  us,  and 
was  very  kind  in  presenting  some  of  the  visiting 
celebrities,  as  well  as  the  people  in  Rome,  as,  of 
course,  he  knows  everybody.  It  was  supposed  to  be 
a  ball  characterized  by  the  fancy  dressing  of  the  head 
and  hair,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  most  of  the  women 
came  in  elaborate  and  beautiful  costumes.  Far  and 
away  the  most  elegant  and  most  beautiful  costume 
was  worn  by  the  Marchesa  Camillo  Casati,  of  the 
famous  Casati  family  of  Milan.  She  was  dressed  as 
the  Empress  Theodora,  in  a  perfect  fitting  princesse 
gown  of  cloth  of  silver  heavily  embroidered  in  gold. 

[.80] 


1)  M'dnOHiM  >iHT 


tern. 
an  oppi. 

idapted 

1. 

THE  MARCHESA  CAMILLO  CASATI 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

The  costume  was  an  exact  reproduction  of  one  worn 
in  Paris  by  Sarah  Bernhardt  a  short  time  ago.  The 
March  esa  wore  on  her  head  a  crown  formed  of  eagles, 
and  had  some  of  her  diamonds  set  up  in  a  large  dia- 
mond eagle,  which  was  her  only  corsage  ornament. 
Two  or  three  ropes  of  her  wonderful  and  famous 
pearls  hung  loosely  about  her  beautiful  neck,  and  al- 
together she  was  quite  the  most  stunning  person  at 
the  ball.  She  is  a  handsome  woman,  tall  and 
slight,  with  a  beautiful  figure  and  splendid  carriage. 
Her  hair  is  a  light  chestnut  color,  and  she  is  always 
pale,  though  her  paleness  is  of  that  attractive 
sort  that  does  not  indicate  ill-health.  She  is 
said  to  be  one  of  the  best  dressed  women  in 
Rome  on  all  occasions.  One  thing  surprised  me  very 
much;  the  dancing  was  quite  American.  They  call 
our  two-step  the  "Boston,'*  and  talk  about  "Bos- 
toning"  in  the  most  amusing  way;  they  seem  to  like 
it  immensely,  and  nearly  everyone  waltzes  in  the 
American  fashion  also,  so,  as  you  may  imagine,  I  was 
in  my  element.  Only  those  in  fancy  dress  danced 
in  the  opening  quadrille,  and  that  was  very  nice,  for 
we  had  a  better  chance  in  this  way  to  examine  the 
more  elaborate  costumes. 

The  Italian  woman  is  certainly   the   epitome  of 
ease  and  grace,  and  these  women  wore  their  fantastic 

[i8i] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

costumes  with  as  little  affectation  as  if  they  had  been 
summer  muslins.  You  know,  at  our  fancy  dress 
balls  at  home,  many  people  are  apt  to  seem  so  un- 
natural, so  hopelessly  conscious  of  the  fact  that  they 
are  dressed  up  in  something  different  from  their  ordi- 
nary and  conventional  garments.  It  would  take  too 
long  to  tell  you  about  all  the  costumes,  but  I  am 
sure  you  will  be  interested  to  hear  about  a  few.  The 
Baroness  Renee  de  Bruck,  the  daughter  of  the  former 
Ambassador  to  Rome  from  Austria,  made  a  most 
attractive  Marie  Antoinette,  in  the  costume  of 
Mme.  Le  Brun's  portrait.  Those  turbans  are  cer- 
tainly becoming,  and  make  such  a  pretty  frame  about 
the  face.  The  Baroness  lives  in  our  hotel,  so  I  see 
her  quite  often,  though  I  had  to  look  twice  to  make 
sure  it  was  she,  as  I  pointed  her  out  to  F.  B. — white 
hair  changes  the  expression  so  much.  Donna  Franca 
Florio,  one  of  the  richest  women  in  Italy,  and  by 
many  considered  one  of  the  handsomest,  was  very 
elegant  as  the  famous  Duchess  of  Devonshire.  Her 
costume  was  of  exquisite  white  lace,  trimmed  with 
artificial  pansies,  and  she  wore,  of  course,  the  con- 
ventional Gainsborough  hat,  with  her  hair  appro- 
priately and  becomingly  dressed,  after  the  manner  of 
the   famous   picture.     The   young   girls   were  very 

[,82] 


n 


at  hon- 

ic  iaci  that  they 

.>uid  tu 
long 


arc  ctr- 

HER  EXCELLENCY  DONNA  BICE  TITTONI,  WI^^Qft 

THE  MINISTER  OF  FOREIGN  AFFAIRS     ' 

'  1   sec 

ike 

lite 


COPYRIGHT,    190B,    BY  TRYPHOSA   B*TtS   BA1CHELLER 


Vf^A.    /^-  /O  -f-'.r. 


or  THE 

ONIVERSIT 

F 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

fetching;  perhaps  the  most  effective  head  dress,  a 
Valkyrie  helmet,  was  worn  by  the  daughter  of 
Countess  Danieli,  but  the  daintiest  little  Louis  XVI 
lady  was  Miss  Patterson,  of  Baltimore. 

Just  outside  the  ballroom  were  two  little  booths 
where  lemonade  and  ices  were  sold,  and  two  or 
three  of  the  patronesses  in  their  lovely  costumes 
served  out  these  dainties.  As  I  was  sipping  lemon- 
ade with  Captain  Bodrero,  whose  wife  was  an  at- 
tractive Desdemona,  I  discovered  F.  B.  as  one  of  a 
half  dozen  men  who  were  saying  good-night  to 
Donna  Bice  Tittoni.  She  was  looking  extremely 
pretty  in  a  light  pink  gown,  and  her  pearls  and  dia- 
monds are  beautiful.  She  is  most  popular  with  every- 
body everywhere,  always  bright  and  animated,  and 
always  has  a  pleasant  word  and  smile  for  all  her 
friends.  In  her  position  as  wife  of  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  naturally  she  must  go  out  a  great 
deal  socially,  and  as  this  is  to  be  one  of  the  gayest 
weeks  of  the  season,  she  laughingly  waved  them  all 
good-bye  and  said  she  must  be  off  early. 

At  first  we  had  intended  to  leave  early  ourselves, 
but  the  time  for  the  cotillion  arrived  before  we  knew 
it,  and  I  thought  it  would  be  interesting  to  see  how 
they  manage  here,  so  we  decided  to  stay   on.     The 

[183] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

figures  were  very  simple  and  much  like  the  cotillions 
at  home.  Nearly  all  the  favors  were  dainty  little 
Japanese  fans  and  dolls,  and  the  whole  affair  was 
splendidly  managed  by  the  Marchese  Guglielmi,  who 
wore  the  costume  of  a  Roman  peasant  boy. 

During  the  cotillion  the  orchestra  played  so  contin- 
uously that  it  actually  made  me  nervous.  Think  of 
those  men  playing  for  two  or  three  hours  steadily, 
without  the  smallest  rest !  When  we  left  at  two  in  the 
morning,  after  a  perfectly  splendid  time,  they  were 
still  fiddling  away  for  dear  life !  I  met  a  number  of 
people  whom  I  had  not  met  before,  and  many  of  them 
have  asked  me  to  come  to  see  them.  To-morrow 
afternoon  I  shall  devote  to  card  leaving,  which  is  a 
very  important  matter  here.  Every  man  you  meet 
in  Rome  leaves  his  card  within  twenty-four  hours — 
fancy! 

Of  course,  there  have  been  several  brilliant  balls : 
The  Countess  Telefner's,  the  Princess  Buoncom- 
pagni's,  and  the  Duchess  Sforza  Cesarini's;  but  the 
Princess  d'Antuni  quite  carried  off  the  palm  for  origi- 
nality at  her  ball,  by  having  a  cute  little  Sardinian 
donkey  draw  in  a  dainty  wagon  filled  with  favors  for 
the  cotillion.  Then  the  Countess  Taverna  also  gave  a 
most  lovely  ball  last  Thursday  in  her  fine  old  pal- 

[184] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ace,  where  she  has  a  beautiful  ballroom,  hung  with 
some  fine  Giulio  Romano  pictures.  But  all  balls 
are  hop,  skip,  jump  and  go,  and  I  know  that  you 
are  more  interested  to  hear  about  other  things;  but 
last  night's  ball,  of  course,  was  a  little  out  of  the 
ordinary. 


[i8s] 


XXVI 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  March  5,  1905 

My  dear  M.: 

THIS  morning  we  went  for  a  good  walk  to 
the  church  of  Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  so 
called  because  it  is  the  largest  of  the  eighty 
churches  here  in  Rome  that  are  dedicated  to  the 
Virgin  Mary. 

There  is  also  a  legend  that  the  Virgin  appeared  to 
a  very  devout  Roman  and  to  the  Pope  Liberius  simul- 
taneously, ordering  them  to  erect  a  church  in  her 
honor  on  the  spot  where  they  should  find  snow  in 
the  city  on  the  following  morning.  They  are  said 
to  have  built  the  Basilica  Liberiana,  but  it  was  re- 
erected  by  Sextus  III  in  A.  D.  432.  Only  the 
nave,  with  its  very  fine  old  marble  columns  and  mo- 
saics, is  left  of  that  edifice.  The  church  has  been 
changed  and  rebuilt  numerous  times.  The  interior 
is  very  elegant  and  imposing,  and  the  ceiling,  which 
is  most  elaborate,  was  gilded  with  the  first  gold 
brought  from  America.     The  ancient  tomb  of  por- 

[186] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

phyry,  said  to  be  that  of  the  Roman  Patrician  Johan- 
nes (of  the  vision),  is  supposed  to  contain  the  re- 
mains of  St.  Matthew,  and  the  canopy  is  borne  by 
four  splendid  porphyry  columns.  There  are  a  great 
many  interesting  works  of  art  in  the  church  by  Guido 
Reni,  Bernini  and  others,  and  in  the  gorgeous  Bor- 
ghese  Chapel  is  a  very  old  picture  of  the  Virgin 
(you  can  barely  distinguish  the  figure,  it  is  so  black) 
that  is  believed  to  possess  miraculous  powers.  Ac- 
cording to  the  tradition,  it  was  painted  by  St.  Luke 
himself,  and  Pope  Gregory  I  is  said  to  have  carried 
it  about  the  streets  of  Rome  in  a  solemn  and  holy 
procession  in  A.  D.  590.  The  altar  above  this  pic- 
ture is,  like  all  the  Borghese  things,  very  gorgeous, 
and  is  beautifully  inlaid  with  lapis  lazuli,  agate,  and 
other  precious  marbles. 

There  were  a  few  beggars  sunning  themselves  on 
the  steps  as  we  went  into  the  church,  but  they  were 
not  at  all  importunate,  as  there  are  severe  laws  now 
against  begging.  One  sees  few  beggars  here  com- 
pared to  years  ago,  and  only  yesterday  F.  B.  saw 
one  arrested  and  carried  off  in  the  police  wagon.  He 
said  the  officer  was  kind  to  the  old  man,  but  that  he 
had  to  be  very  patient,  and  expostulated  some  time 
with  him  before  he  could  make  him  get  into  the 
police  wagon.     There  is  also  a  very  efficient  Society 

[187] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  here  and 
in  Naples,  to  which  many  of  the  best  people  belong. 
The  British  and  American  Embassies  always  give  it 
their  support,  and  several  of  the  Italian  ladies  have 
become  much  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Society, 
the  Duchess  of  Sermoneta  and  the  Princess  d'Antuni 
especially.  The  Society  here  has  men  in  uniform, 
who  put  a  stop  at  once  to  any  cruelties  they  see,  and 
are  sustained  in  so  doing  by  the  government.  There 
is  a  new  building  being  erected  opposite  the  Palazzo 
Margherita,  and  the  heavy  stones  must  be  drawn 
each  day  up  the  narrow,  steep  Via  del  Tritone.  For 
several  days  F.  B.  and  I  have  fretted  about  the  poor 
horses,  whose  loads  were  so  heavy  that  they  were 
almost  unable  to  move  at  all  when  they  came  to  the 
hill;  so  we  were  much  pleased  to  see  one  of  the  So- 
ciety's men  appear  yesterday,  and  order  an  extra  horse 
put  to  each  load  when  it  reached  the  steep  incline. 
This  afternoon  we  stopped  on  our  way  to  the  races 
at  Tor  di  Quinto  to  see  the  Countess  Bruschi.  Her 
apartment  is  so  pretty,  and  has  a  delightful  outlook 
on  the  Piazza  delle  Terme.  Her  salon  is  very  large, 
draped  in  red  and  exceedingly  attractive.  We  met 
there  a  beautiful  woman  with  wonderful  dark  eyes, 
but  I  cannot  for  the  life  of  me  recall  her  name. 
However,  I  shall  see  the  Countess  in  a  day  or  so  and 

[i88] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

shall  surely  ask  her.  When  one  is  introduced  to  a 
number  of  people  at  one  time,  it  is  really  very  diffi- 
cult to  catch  all  the  names  correctly  at  the  first  "go." 

The  races  were  very  good.  It  has  been  a  bright, 
sunny  day,  and  lots  of  people  drove  out.  You  would 
have  enjoyed  seeing  the  riding  immensely;  I  never 
see  a  fine  thoroughbred  that  I  don't  wish  you  could 
see  and  ride  him  at  once.  The  racing  language,  in 
fact  the  language  of  sport  generally,  is  English  the 
world  over,  but  the  English  gets  funny  twists  some- 
times. I  saw  a  sign  in  a  hotel  to-day :  "  Very  sport- 
ing links  at  the  Golf  Club  near  Rome."  We  drove 
out  there  the  other  day ;  they  have  a  nice  little  house 
in  the  Campagna,  which,  of  course,  makes  splendid 
links.  It  began  to  rain,  and  the  Scotch  teacher  said, 
"  Come  in,  come  in,  please ;  you  can  get  wet  if  you 
like  in  Scotland,  but  you  must  not  in  Rome,  and  I 
have  paid  dearly  for  that  information,  too." 

To-day  at  the  races  there  were  numbers  of  gentle- 
men riders,  among  them  the  Marchese  di  Roccagio- 
vine  and  Mr.  Haseltine,  both  of  whom  took  prizes 
in  one  of  the  steeple-chases.  Some  of  the  horses 
had  such  pretty  names:  Ulpia,  Rugantino  and  Di- 
vano.  Countess  Taverna  was  with  her  niece,  the 
lovely  Countess  Martini-Marescotti,  and  I  saw  also 
the    Duchess    Visconti    and    the    Marchesa    Casati, 

[1891 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

both  handsome  as  always.  King  Umberto  I,  you 
remember,  was  nearly  assassinated  once  when  driving 
out  here  to  the  races.  It  is  not  so  easy  to  be  a  King 
in  Italy,  or  anywhere,  for  that  matter. 

When  we  came  in  we  had  a  little  chat  with  the 
Duchess  of  San  Carlos,  who  is  going  about  a  great 
deal  this  winter  with  her  pretty  daughter.  She  is 
Spanish,  but  has  many  friends  here,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  charming  women  I  have  met.  I  see  her  often, 
as  she  lives  in  this  hotel.  Just  as  a  great  exception, 
we  are  going  to  be  quiet  this  evening,  and  I  shall 
wrestle  with  my  correspondence. 

I  had  a  very  nice  letter  from  Mrs.  Lodge  not  long 
since,  and  have  heard  quite  regularly  from  Rosamond 
Lang,  who  is  such  a  dear,  and  always  finds  time  to 
do  everything ;  but  then,  she  belongs  to  a  wonderful 
family.  I  have  written  to  her,  Margaret  Upham,  and 
one  or  two  others,  but  writing  you  and  Dad  and  C. 
such  very  long  letters,  I  simply  can  not  keep  up 
a  frequent  correspondence  with  many  people,  of 
course. 

To-morrow  evening  is  the  Court  ball,  and  I  am 
looking  forward  to  a  fine  time.  I  do  hope  it  will 
not  rain,  as  it  is  so  "  messy"  when  everything  is  wet 
and  there  is  a  great  crowd. 

[190] 


XXVII 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

MUSIC 

Rome,  Italy,  March  6,  1905 
My  dear  M.  : 

WE  have  just  come  in  from  one  of  the  con- 
certs given  by  the  Royal  Academy  of  St. 
Cecilia,  and  who  should  be  the  artist  but 
Pablo  Casals,  assisted  by  Bustini !  I  am  sure  you  v^ill 
remember  Casals,  for  we  saw  him  so  often  when 
we  were  in  Paris.  He  played  to-day,  as  always,  with 
consummate  art.  He  had  a  very  long  programme 
beginning  with  that  delightful  Beethoven  sonata  in 
A  major  for  the  cello  and  piano,  then  followed  a 
Bach  suite,  and  at  the  end  he  played  two  delightful 
pieces  by  Faure. 

Queen  Margherita,  as  usual,  was  present,  and 
Count  San  Martino  and  Signor  Falchi  were  in  the 
Royal  box  with  her.  After  the  concert.  Her  Maj- 
esty sent  for  Casals  and  Bustini  and  congratulated 
them  on  their  artistic  performance. 

The  hall  in  which  these  concerts  are  given  is  de-. 

[■91] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

lightful,  the  acoustics  are  excellent  and  it  is  a  very- 
satisfactory  place  for  musicians  in  every  way. 

One  of  the  principal  directors  of  this  Academy  is 
Prof.  Giovanni  Sgambati,  who  is  the  pianist  and  di- 
rector of  the  Court  Quintette  for  Her  Majesty  the 
Queen  Mother.  For  many  years  he  has  arranged  a 
series  of  concerts  for  Queen  Margherita,  which  are 
given  in  her  palace  during  the  winter  season,  to 
which  are  invited  her  intimate  friends  and  Ladies-in- 
Waiting.  Signora  Sgambati  told  me  that  when  only 
eleven  years  old,  her  husband  composed  a  very  cred- 
itable sonata  for  the  piano,  and  he  was  still  a  very 
young  man  when  he  became  one  of  the  foremost 
pianists  of  his  day.  He  was  a  great  friend  of  Liszt, 
a  fervent  believer  in  the  Liszt  school  of  piano  playing, 
and  is  the  principal  teacher  in  the  piano  department 
of  the  St.  Cecilia  Academy.  From  time  to  time  he 
brings  out  excellent  pianists,  who  generally  make 
their  mark  in  the  musical  world.  It  is  delightful  to 
hear  him  play ;  as  he  sits  at  the  piano  his  eyes  assume 
a  sort  of  dreamy  expression,  and  without  affectation 
or  effort  his  fingers  fly  over  the  keys,  showing  a  rare 
technique.  Once  at  the  piano  he  is  quite  lost  to  the 
world,  thinking  only  of  the  interpretation  of  the  mu- 
sic that  he  is  playing,  whether  his  own  or  that  of 
some  other  composer.     I  have  often  heard  him  say, 

[192] 


GLI^Ii'-l^S    O! 

:.icc  for  musii  '  every   .. 

One  of  the  principal  .^'  of  this  Acade 

Pr(  r               :.i   Sgamb;;  >  is  the  pianist  and  di- 
leci,                        urt  Quintette  for  Pier  Majestv   the 

(Incf-/  cars  h^                    ^cd  a 

r  Ouec  gherits             '5   are 


S 


D 


h      I 


CC 


< 


wmtt 


wh-.  O  adies-in- 


§    o  ment 

o    I 

w    6.  ne 

a:    < 

O    I  make 

^    2f 

u, 

O 

p< 

a, 


oft): 


ften  h 


or  THE 


-^L 


OF 

Torn* 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

"  I  do  not  like  to  hear  people  remark  how  beautifully 
this  or  that  artist  played,  but  rather  what  a  beautiful 
piece  of  music  they  have  just  heard.  The  artist  should 
be  forgotten  in  the  perfect  rendering  of  good  music.'* 
He  is  a  great  worker,  and  like  all  true  artists,  believes 
that  only  with  constant  work,  infinite  pains  and  at- 
tention to  detail  can  great  results  be  obtained.  He 
has  been  much  appreciated  in  Germany,  England  and 
France.  In  Paris  he  was  the  confrere  of  Gounod 
and  Ambroise  Thomas.  Like  these  great  Frenchmen, 
Sgambati  has  composed  some  charming  songs,  many 
of  which  I  have  enjoyed  singing  to  his  own  accom- 
paniment this  winter.  One  of  these  songs  is  written 
to  an  Italian  setting  of  a  poem  by  the  Countess  of 
Chambrun,  and  Sgambati  told  me  that  on  one  occa- 
sion when  he  was  in  Paris,  the  Countess,  who  col- 
lected about  her  all  the  great  men  of  the  time,  gave 
a  musicale  at  which  the  music  written  for  her  poem 
by  Gounod,  Ambroise  Thomas  and  Sgambati  was 
sung  in  succession,  all  three  composers  being  present. 
Now-a-days  it  is  very  difficult  for  Prof.  Sgambati 
to  make  up  his  mind  to  leave  Rome.  This  is  really 
not  surprising,  for  he  is  greatly  admired  here,  and 
his  apartment,  which  looks  out  on  the  ever  lovely 
Piazza  di  Spagna,  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
abiding  places  one  can  imagine  in   Rome.      From 

[193] 


GLIMPSES  OF   ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  windows  of  his  music-room  one  looks  across  to 
the  Spanish  steps,  where  peasant  girls  in  their 
fantastic  Roman  costumes  are  always  to  be  seen  sell- 
ing masses  of  beautiful  flowers. 

Signora  Sgambati  is  a  charming  woman,  and  very 
much  liked  in  Roman  society.  One  sees  her  every- 
where, and  she  knows  everyone,  having  been  born 
and  brought  up  in  Rome.  She  herself  is  very  artistic, 
and  most  devoted  to  her  husband  and  all  his  in- 
terests. 

Besides  singing  the  great  man's  songs  with  him, 
we  have  gone  over  a  good  many  of  the  old  classics 
together  as  well.  He  told  me  he  had  often  played 
the  music  of  Mozart's  "  Magic  Flute,"  but  had  never 
heard  either  of  the  "Queen  of  the  Night"  arias 
sung  before,  so  he  has  asked  me  to  go  over  them 
several  times  with  him  ;  and  he  was  much  interested 
and  greatly  pleased  with  a  number  of  Margaret 
Lang's  songs  that  I  sang  to  him  the  other  morning. 
He  tells  me  that  there  are  very  few,  if  any,  really  high 
voices  in  Italy  to-day.  I  was  much  surprised  to  learn 
this,  but  on  reflection  I  can  see  that  it  must  be  so  ;  for 
modern  Italian  music  is  of  such  a  dramatic  nature,  and 
the  music  for  the  soprano  rdle  is  almost  invariably 
so  heavy,  that  in  order  to  have  sufficient  volume  for 
these  new  operas,  the  sopranos  have  been  obliged  to 

[194] 


aH-i 


and    '" 


VIEW  FROM  THE  PIAZZA  DI  SPAGNA  OF  THE 
STEPS   LEADING  TO  THE    CHURCH    OF 
SANTISSIMA  TRINITA  DE'  MONTJ 

From  a  ivaur-color  hy  J .  Febriancbi 


La. 
n 


COPYRIGHT,    190«,   BV  TRYPMOSA  BATtS   BATCHELUR 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

sacrifice  their  high  notes  because  of  the  forcing  of 
their  middle  voice,  with  the  result  that  to-day  in  many 
of  the  Italian  opera  houses  the  sopranos  are  imported 
from  other  countries.  Of  course,  one  cannot  sing 
these  tremendously  heavy  dramatic  roles  with  a 
light  lyric  voice,  such  as  is  required  in  the  "  Traviata," 
»  and  when  a  soprano  strains  her  middle  notes,  her 
very  high  ones  usually  go  altogether.  These  rare 
high  notes  are,  as  you  know,  the  last  to  come  and 
the  first  to  go  in  the  voice;  Patti  knew  this  better 
than  any  one  in  the  world,  and  she  cared  for  her 
precious  notes  in  alt.  as  they  should  be  cared  for. 

The  modern  music  of  Italy,  like  most  modern 
music,  shows  the  influence  of  Wagner.  I  have  heard 
the  greatest  singing  teacher  of  the  age,  Mme.  Matilde 
Marchesi,  discuss  this  subject  of  Wagner  and  vocal 
music  most  interestingly.  She  had  long  talks  with 
the  great  composer  on  this  subject,  when  his  works 
were  first  produced  in  Vienna,  but  they  never  reached 
an  agreement ;  for  Wagner  maintained  that  the  com- 
poser was  not  bound  to  consider  the  singer  at  all  in 
his  composition,  while,  of  course,  Mme.  Marchesi 
could  never  accept  this  statement,  and  she  believes 
that  Wagner  has  done  much  to  injure  the  singing  art 
of  the  present  age,  as  he  undoubtedly  has.  So  many 
orchestral  conductors  also  have  come  to  feel  the  pre- 

[•95] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

dominant  importance  of  the  orchestra,  and  consider 
the  singers  far  less  than  in  the  old  Rossini  and  Verdi 
days ;  they  let  their  orchestras  bang  away  regardless 
of  the  poor  singers,  who  shriek  in  vain  to  be  heard 
at  all. 

Indeed  it  is  not  only  in  the  opera  that  the  exagger- 
ated idea  of  sound  (noise  is  really  a  more  appropriate 
word)  is  noticeable,  for  it  was  but  a  short  time  ago  in  a 
European  capital  that  I  heard  a  famous  orchestra  under 
a  well-known  leader  play  a  Beethoven  symphony 
with  the  force  and  fury  of  a  Wagner  composition. 

The  great  Beethoven  with  his  wonderful  dignity 
and  intellectuality  would  have  shuddered,  I  am  sure,  at 
the  smashing,  crashing  rendering  of  his  distinguished 
music.  That  I  was  not  alone  in  this  opinion  was 
proved  by  the  voicing  of  similar  ideas  by  several  of 
the  most  eminent  critics  of  the  city  in  the  press.  Give 
passionate  and  dramatic  interpretations  if  you  will, 
but  let  them  be  somewhere  within  the  bounds  of 
reason.  No  one  loves  the  passionate  music  of  Tchai- 
kovsky, or  the  mystic  music  of  the  modern  French 
school,  more  than  I,  but  every  one  likes  balance  in 
all  things,  and  few  people,  I  believe,  like  indiscrimi- 
nate enthusiasm,  however  sincere  it  may  be. 

That  Wagner  was  a  genius  no  one  denies,  but  he 
was  not  the  only  one,  and  I  cannot  bring  myself  to 

[.96] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

believe  that  he  really  meant  to  disregard  entirely  the 
voices  that  must  interpret  his  music,  for  he  was  such 
a  magician  for  producing  all  sorts  of  beautiful  effects. 
In  any  event,  all  the  music  for  all  time  should  not 
be  based  on  his  ideas.  No  one  will  ever  equal 
Mozart  for  exquisite  melody  and  truly  vocal  music, 
to  my  way  of  thinking.  Dear  Sembrich  with  her 
wonderful  art  has  kept  Mozart  and  the  old  Italian 
music  to  the  fore  with  us,  and  people  always 
love  it.  She  and  I  have  had  many  good  talks  to- 
gether about  this  and  we  always  agree.  Melody 
is  melody,  and  the  world  will  always  like  to  listen 
to  it.  A  great  critic  said  to  me  the  other  day, 
as  we  were  talking  over  these  things,  "You  do  not 
have  to  learn  to  enjoy  the  perfume  of  a  flower,  and 
you  should  not  have  to  learn  to  like  good  music." 

The  scarcity  of  sopranos  in  Italy  makes  it  almost 
impossible  to  give  the  dear  old  operas  of  Rossini, 
Donizetti  and  Verdi,  that  we  are  still  lucky  enough 
to  hear  in  New  York.  It  always  amuses  me 
to  hear  people  say  that  these  operas  and 
the  old  Italian  music  have  gone  by,  and  are 
no  longer  liked;  but  it  is  a  singular  fact,  if  that  be 
true,  that  when  a  manager  is  particularly  desirous  of 
making  extra  money  and  packing  the  house,  he  offers 
the  "  Traviata  "  or  the  "  Barber  of  Seville,"  and  en- 

[^97] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

gages  some  singer  who  has  the  technique  and  the 
light  lyric  voice  required  by  these  operas,  who  can 
charm  the  audience  with  brilliant,  florid  singing  as 
well  as  reach  the  heart  in  the  pathetic  and  more 
quiet  passages.  We  all  know  that  in  New  York  no 
one  fills  the  cofl^ers  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House 
quite  so  surely  as  Mme.  Sembrich  or  Mme.  Nordica. 

Mme.  Nordica  is,  I  believe,  the  only  singer,  except 
Lilli  Lehmann,  who  has  been  able  at  the  same  period 
of  her  life  to  sing  Wagner's  Isolde  and  some  brilliant 
r6le  like  Eleonora  in  the  "Trovatore"  or  Violetta  in 
the  "Traviata."  That  Mme.  Nordica  fully  realizes 
the  value  of  a  perfect  technique  underlying  her  great 
dramatic  work,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  at  any  mo- 
ment she  can  take  up  the"Trovatore"  or  the"Tra- 
viata  "  and  give  to  the  music  all  the  required  technique, 
combined  with  the  wealth  of  her  own  glorious  organ 
as  well.  It  is  because  she  can  sing  the  "Trovatore** 
as  she  does  that  she  can  sing  Isolde  so  magnificently. 

You  may  say  it  is  not  artistic  to  consider  the  finan- 
cial value  of  a  singer,  but  the  impresario  is  bound  to 
consider  the  profit  and  loss;  the  profit  is  invariably 
on  the  side  of  the  clear,  pure  soprano  who  has  tech- 
nique as  well  as  a  heart,  and  the  loss  will  invariably 
be  on  the  side  of  the  singer  who  feels  that  no  tech- 
nique is  necessary,  and  that  a  certain  amount  of 
noise  combined  with  a  rolling  of  the  eyes  heaven- 

[198] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

ward  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  impress  the  public 
that  she  is  a  "temperamental"  artist.  You  may  just 
as  well  say  that  a  painter  is  a  success,  because  he  has 
beautiful  color,  though  he  has  no  ability  to  draw ;  or 
that  beautiful  prose  is  poetry  though  the  lines  in  which 
the  idea  is  expressed  have  no  metrical  form,  but  cer- 
tainly no  dramatic  singer  can  make  a  really  great 
success  without  vocal  technique,  and  that  is  pre- 
cisely what  some  of  the  singers  of  to-day  do  not  real- 
ize. But  that  is  not  altogether  surprising,  consider- 
ing the  attitude  that  a  few  people  take  now-a-days, 
especially  in  America;  they  seem  to  have  a  sort  of 
vague  contempt  for  any  show  of  pyrotechnics  in  a 
singer.  They  do  not  ask  a  pianist  to  play  merely  a 
series  of  magnificent  chords,  or  a  simple  smooth  mel- 
ody with  a  "soulful  rendering,"  and  they  are  per- 
fectly willing  to  listen  and  applaud  the  technique 
of  a  Kubelik,  a  Krasselt,  or  a  Bauer,  though  I  did 
read  recently  an  absurd  statement  that  the  Boston 
Symphony  Orchestra  was  ^^  too  perfect,"  technically. 
But,  when  a  singer  steps  upon  the  platform,  though 
most  of  her  programme  be  made  up  of  songs  which 
appeal  to  the  heart,  these  same  few  people  smile 
with  amused  indulgence  if  she  sings  a  florid  aria  from 
one  of  the  old  masters  that  contains  brilliant  runs 
and  trills,  quite  similar  to  those  they  have  recently 
applauded  on  the  piano  or  violin,  a  few  moments  be- 

[199] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

fore.  Why  should  the  singer  not  have  the  same 
musical  standards  as  other  artists  ?  If  they  did,  you 
would  not  hear  the  remark  so  frequently  made, 
"Most  singers  are  not  musicians,"  which  is  not  at 
all  fair  or  true,  I  believe.  1  know  a  singer  who  was 
to  appear  before  a  very  brilliant  New  York  audi- 
ence for  the  first  time.  Having  been  told  that  the 
old  florid  arias  were  considered  quite  gone-by,  she 
had  selected  several  simple,  beautiful  songs,  and  was 
surprised  when  she  handed  her  programme  to  the 
manager,  to  hear  him  say,  "  This  will  never  do,  you 
must  sing  something  brilliant."  "But,"  she  said,  "I 
have  been  told  that  the  audiences  no  longer  care  for 
the  runs  and  trills."  "Oh,  nonsense!"  he  returned, 
"a  few  people  say  that,  but  I  find  at  my  concerts — 
and  in  fact,  all  the  managers  tell  me  the  same  thing — 
that  the  audiences  never  fail  to  enjoy  the  music  of 
the  old  Italian  school  when  it  is  properly  done;  the 
trouble  is  that  it  is  so  often  improperly  done."  Of 
course,  the  singer  who  has  technique  and  nothing 
else,  is  equally  useless,  but  as  long  as  many  of  the 
young  singers  of  to-day  are  told  that  technique  is 
after  all  not  very  important  "if  you  have  a  soul," 
they  are  quite  apt  to  work  their  imaginations  more 
than  their  brains.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  singer  may 
have  all  the  heart  and  temperament  in   the  world, 

[200] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

but  without  technique  she  can  but  ill  express  her 
feelings,  however  deep  they  may  be. 

Many  people  in  Italy  feel  very  badly  at  the  deca- 
dence of  song  here,  as  they  express  it,  and  Prof.  Mas- 
trigli,  an  honorary  member  of  the  Royal  Musical 
Institute  of  Florence,  has  written  a  book  entitled  "  La 
Decadenza  del  Canto  in  Italia,"  in  which  he  gives 
many  reasons  why  the  singing  art  of  the  world, 
especially  in  Italy,  is  not  as  high  as  formerly.  He 
laments  the  nervous  haste  alike  of  the  pupil  and 
teacher  to  "railroad  art,"  and  says  that  it  is  because 
many  people  are  willing  to  take  shrieking  for  sing- 
ing that  there  are  so  many  fearful  voices  heard  now- 
a-days,  that  fairly  make  your  ears  ring.  Speaking 
of  the  dramatic  singer,  he  quotes  E.  Garcia,  "II 
canto  largo  si  fa  tanto  piil  facile,  quanto  piCl  com^ 
pletamente  Torgano  si  sara  abituato  a  tutte  le  diffi- 
colta  della  esecuzione ;  diremo  anzi  che  questa  pron- 
tezza  dell'organo  e  indispensabile  a  chiunque  voglia 
eccellere  nel  largo.  Le  voci  pesanti  non  possono 
giungere  alia  perfezione  inalcun  genere."  (E.  Gar- 
cia, figlio.)  "Dramatic  singing  is  done  the  more 
easily,  the  more  completely  the  organ  has  accustomed 
itself  to  all  the  difficulties  of  execution.  We  will 
say  that  this  agility  of  the  voice  is  indispensable  to 
whomsoever    wishes    to    excel    in    dramatic    work, 

[201] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Heavy  voices  cannot  reach  perfection  in  any  other 
way."  The  Professor  has  said  some  very  nice  things 
to  me  about  my  voice,  and  is  delighted  that  I  have 
been  willing  to  devote  so  many  years  to  my  art. 
In  one  of  his  criticisms  of  my  singing  he  spoke 
especially  of  my  breathing. 

Prof.  Mastrigli  makes  a  great  point  of  diaphragm 
breathing,  and  how  many  times  have  I  heard  dear 
Mme.  Marchesi  say:  "Now-a-days  people  seem  to 
think  they  can  breathe  as  they  like,  anyway,  any- 
where, but  they  will  never  make  great  artists  if  they 
do  not  breathe  properly,  and  give  great  attention  to 
this  study."  Mastrigli  and  I  have  had  many  de- 
lightful talks  together,  and  I  greatly  enjoyed  reading 
his  book  on  Hygiene  of  the  Voice,  which  all  sing- 
ers would  do  well  to  read.  He  has  written  books 
on  Beethoven,  Modern  Italian  Composers — in  fact, 
a  dozen  or  more  excellent  musical  works,  as  well  as  a 
great  number  of  very  attractive  and  interesting  songs. 

The  more  I  know  of  singing  and  singers,  the  more 
I  appreciate  Mme.  Marchesi,  and  all  the  splendid 
precepts  she  teaches.  "It  takes  fourteen  things  to 
be  2i  great  singer y*  she  often  says,  and  she  is  right; 
the  voice  is  only  one,  and  common  sense  comes  in 
a  very  close  second.  One  must  study  human  nature 
a  fond  and  one  must  live  and  love  and  suffer  before 

[202] 


^.f^^' 


1'    ?. 


^'i^ 

«!,"'< 


especial) 

hica'-  v  m»r  I  heard  denr 

think 


1 .  .,k 


•THE  MARCHESE  AND  MARCHESA  DE  LA  REJATA  w. 
JDE  -CASTRONE  <^\nrr- 


202I 


COPyKIGHT,  190S,  BY  TRYPHOSA  BATES  BATCHELLbR 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

one  can  become  an  artist.  Someone  has  said  that 
"every  round  of  the  ladder  of  art  must  be  bathed 
with  tears,"  and  while  that  is  not  strictly  true,  one 
has  to  experience  many  trying  days,  and  it  takes  great 
courage  to  go  on  and  up.  If  success  comes  in  the 
end,  there  is  no  greater  sunshine  or  joy,  than  the  love 
and  approval  of  one's  fellowmen  for  the  art  for  which 
one  has  loved  and  labored.  What  a  wonderful 
couple  they  are,  Madame  and  her  Sicilian  husband, 
the  Marchese  de  Castrone;  both  about  seventy  in  years 
and  about  thirty  in  action  !  Not  a  concert  or  an  opera  of 
any  real  moment  is  given  in  Paris  that  they  are  not 
seen  in  one  of  the  best  boxes.  Is  n't  it  splendid  to 
live  all  one's  life  so  wonderfully  and  not  degenerate 
into  existing  the  last  years?  Work,  hard  work,  is 
eminently  good  for  everyone,  I  believe,  and  the  hap- 
piest people  are  the  workers. 

E.  Garcia,  too,  Madame's  great  teacher,  has  just 
celebrated  his  one  hundredth  birthday  in  London.  He 
was  received  at  Buckingham  Palace  by  His  Majesty 
King  Edward,  afterwards  given  a  banquet  by  the 
Laryngological  Society  and  he  received  felicitations 
from  numbers  of  scientific  societies  all  over  the 
world — Spain,  Austria,  Russia,  etc.,  etc.  He  was  a 
great  friend  of  Rossini,  and  once,  when  Rossini  was 
pressed  for  time,  just  after  writing  the  "Barber  of 

[203] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Seville/*  he  told  Garcia  he  could  n't  stop  to  write  a 
romance  for  the  bass  role,  but  if  he  (Garcia)  wanted 
one,  he  could  write  it  himself;  so  the  romance  of 
Almaviva, "  lo  son  Lindoro,**  was  written  and  first  sung 
by  Garcia. 

We  have  had  the  good  fortune  this  winter  to  hear 
many  of  the  new  Italian  operas.  The  first  we  heard 
was  Francesco  Cilea's  new  opera  "Adriana  Lecouv- 
reur,"  The  criticisms  as  to  its  success  and  merits 
generally  differ,  as  they  are  apt  to,  at  the  time  of  a 
first  production,  but  I  think  the  general  consensus  of 
opinion  gives  the  opera  a  moderate  success.  Every- 
one admits  that  there  are  beautiful  moments  of  mel- 
ody and  charm.  Krusceniski  certainly  gave  the 
music  a  most  sympathetic  rendering,  and  when  the 
enthusiastic  audience  called  the  composer  before  the 
curtain,  he  would  only  come,  leading  with  him 
Krusceniski  and  Zenatello,  the  tenor,  who  had  so 
ably  interpreted  his  music.  Another  opera  by  Filiarsi, 
entitled  "Manuel  Mendenzes,"  has  been  given  in 
connection  with  Dupont's  "Cabrera,"  and  both  were 
well  received.  Filiarsi  has  introduced  into  his  score 
a  beautiful  intermezzo,  which  pleased  the  audience 
extremely,  and  was  repeated.  The  music  of  the 
"Cabrera'*  is  distinguished  and  lovely,  and  we  hope  to 
hear  it  again  here  and  in  Paris,  where  La  Bellincioni 

[204] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

is  going  to  sing  at  the  Opera  Comique.  Giordano 
is  also  to  have  a  hearing  given  several  of  his  operas 
at  the  theatre  Sarah  Bernhardt,  next  spring,  when  a 
special  season  of  Italian  opera  is  to  be  inaugurated  in 
Paris;  so  we  shall  hear  again  his  "Fedora,*'  "Siberia" 
and  "Andr6  Chenier.**  Giordano's  music  possesses  a 
fluent  vein  of  melody,  and  he  handles  the  orchestra 
with  considerable  skill,  while  a  good  deal  of  melodic 
beauty  is  given  to  the  music  of  the  singers. 

Pietro  Mascagni  has  added  fresh  laurels  to  his 
name,  too,  through  the  great  success  of  his  opera 
"Amica,"  which  was  recently  brought  out  at  Nice; 
but  nothing  in  modern  Italian  operatic  music  appeals 
to  me  so  much  as  Puccini's  "Boheme**  and  "Madame 
Butterfly.'*  There  is  a  subtle  charm  in  this  music  of 
Puccini  that  goes  straight  to  the  heart.  It  is  ex- 
tremely vocal  and  well  within  the  reach  of  the  purely 
lyric  soprano.  No  one  who  has  heard  the  r6le  of 
"Mimi"  sung  as  Sembrich  or  as  Stehle  sang  it  in 
Naples,  can  fail  to  appreciate  its  beauty. 

The  symphony  has  found  a  place,  too,  in  the  music 
of  modern  Italy.  Sgambati  has  written  several,  and 
Bustini,  who  has  recently  published  a  short  work  on 
the  "Symphony  in  Modern  Italy,"  has  also  written 
one  or  more.  I  certainly  hope  that  the  great  Man- 
cinelli,  who  carried  Bustini  to  South  America  re- 

[205] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

cently  to  be  his  alternate  conductor,  will  take  him 
to  New  York  one  day,  for  I  think  the  general  artis- 
tic appreciation  and  understanding  of  Maestro  Bus- 
tini  is  unusually  broad  and  intelligent. 

We  hope  to  go  to  some  of  the  Bach  Society  con- 
certs here,  which  are  said  to  be  excellent. 

We  have  also  met  a  number  of  litterateurs  here  in 
Rome,  and  Sgambati  presented  Sabatier  to  me  the 
other  day,  when  the  Signora  had  a  small  reception. 
He  is  a  most  interesting  man,  and  we  had  a  nice  talk 
about  Prof.  Barrett  Wendell,  of  Harvard  University, 
who  has  been  giving  a  series  of  lectures  at  the  Sor- 
bonne  in  Paris.  Sabatier  said  the  Professor  has  made 
a  very  fine  impression  in  France,  and  has  given  a 
great  many  new  ideas  to  the  French  people  about 
America,  our  people  and  their  ideals.  It  seemed 
very  nice  to  hear  Prof.  Wendell  spoken  of  so  enthu- 
siastically, and  to  know  that  he  had  been  so  much 
appreciated  in  France.  You  and  I  have  read  Saba- 
tier's  works  on  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  of  course,  but  it 
is  some  time  since  I  looked  them  over,  and  I  mean  to 
brush  up  a  bit  on  them  while  we  are  here. 

We  also  met  Bjornstjerne  Bjornson,  the  great  Nor- 
wegian poet,  whose  daughter  we  knew  some  time 
ago  in  Paris,  at  Mme.  Marchesi's,  you  remember. 

I  am  sending  you  the  music  of  the  Italian  Na- 

[206] 


i^t^'^     [^0^ 


ml?'^: 


WIT^  n;  u>iu  / 


.  .1  litterateurs,    i 

lall  reception. 
•  •         ilk 

;■,•      .  ,f- 

PROFESSOR  ALESSANDRO  BUSTINI 

K^iven  a 

"'^''  about 


Troi;. 


fi(nA^^    Z^*|   ^fi^;^    \\o^ 


t\.Uu,   V 


^xi^  «/»-^  i-ft^^ 


COPYRIGHT,   1906.    BY  TRYPHOS*  BATES    BATCHELLER 


JbrarF 

or  THE 


OF 


ALII 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

tional  Hymn,  thinking  it  might  interest  you  to  play 
over  the  King  and  Queen  motive,  as  F.  B.  and  I 
call  it. 

What  am  I  reading?  Much  less  than  I  should  of 
anything,  I  confess,  but  we  have  been  so  very  busy 
seeing,  that  it  has  been  difficult  to  find  time  for  books. 
I  did  buy  some  of  Matilde  Serao,  Antonio  Fogaz- 
zaro  and  De  Amicis,  only  to-day,  and  later  I  mean 
to  get  some  of  d'Annunzio's  last  things. 

Do  forgive  this  tirade  about  music,  but  you  know 
that  is  my  life,  and  I  knew  you  would  n't  mind  a 
little  discourse,  just  for  once.  I  '11  be  very  good  in 
the  future  and  "never  do  so  any  more"  as  the  little 
girl  said.     Buona  notte. 


[207] 


XXVIII 

THE    COURT    BALL 

Rome,  Italy,  Tuesday,  March  7,  1905 

My  dear  M. : 

^  S  I  wrote  you,  the  Court  balls  were  to  have 
/_%  taken  place  February  20th  and  March  6th, 
^  ^-  but  on  account  of  the  Court  mourning 
it  was  decided  to  have  only  one  Court  ball  this  year. 
When  we  heard  of  this  change  of  plan,  we  felt  that 
we  must  make  up  our  minds  not  to  be  disappointed  if 
our  names  were  not  included  in  the  list  of  invitations, 
because  our  presentation  at  Court  here  had  been  so  re- 
cent, that  we  hardly  had  a  right  to  expect  to  be  in- 
cluded, when  there  were  so  many,  many  people  that 
must  necessarily  be  invited.  We  had  received  our  invi- 
tations for  the  first  ball,  but  did  not  feel  at  all  sure  that 
they  were  valid  for  the  second,  so  we  were  very  much 
pleased  to  read  in  the  Popolo  Romano  (our  morning 
paper)  the  announcement  sent  from  the  Palace  that 
all  invitations  which  had  been  received  for  Febru- 

[208] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

ary  20th  would  be  valid  for  March  6th,  the  date  set 
for  the  only  Court  ball  of  the  season. 

We  left  a  little  before  ten  and  thought  we  were 
quite  early,  but  when  our  carriage  turned  into  the 
Via  Quirinale,  we  found  that  many  other  people  were 
before  us,  for  the  line  of  carriages  reached  as  far  as 
we  could  see  in  the  direction  of  the  Quirinal  Palace. 
We  regretted  not  having  started  earlier,  but  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  remember  the  saying  we  have 
learned  so  often  to  repeat,  "  piano ,  piano,  ci  vuol  pa- 
zienza**  Some  of  the  ladies  in  the  carriages  in  front 
of  us  got  out  and  walked  on  the  sidewalk  to  the 
Palace,  but  I  think  they  gained  little  in  time,  and  I 
was  not  willing  to  do  that  in  any  case. 

The  square  of  the  Quirinal  had  been  quite  cleared, 
and  the  arrangements  for  the  advancing  of  the  car- 
riages, which  at  first  seemed  very  awkward  and  un- 
necessary, were  in  reality  excellent,  and  it  was  the 
only  way  that  carriages  coming,  as  they  did,  from 
various  directions,  could  be  marshalled  with  ease  and 
order  in  and  out  of  the  Palace  Court  Yard.  As 
we  approached  from  the  east,  we  were  obliged  to 
make  a  tour  of  the  great  fountain  of  the  Horse 
Tamers,  while  the  carriages  that  came  from  the  other 
direction    entered    the   line  leading  to   the  Palace, 

[209] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

alternating  one  by  one  with  ours,  thus  forming 
one  short  continuous  line  into  the  Palace,  and  giving 
carriages  from  each  direction  equal  rights.  We 
drove  into  the  main  Court  Yard,  but  the  carriage 
halted  before  a  different  door  from  that  at  which  we 
had  entered  when  we  were  presented  to  Her  Majesty. 
This  door  opened  directly  before  the  flight  of  stairs 
that  leads  to  the  State  apartments,  and  the  carriages 
drove  out  through  another  driveway,  so  there  was 
no  confusion  in  coming  and  going. 

At  the  head  of  the  stairs,  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
very  large,  high  room,  and  our  invitations,  which 
were  engraved  on  pink  and  blue  cards,  the  one  for 
the  lady  and  the  other  for  the  gentleman,  were  taken 
by  the  Palace  functionaries,  in  red  coats,  gold  lace 
and  powdered  hair.  I  was  handed  an  elaborate  dance 
order  of  white  kid,  bearing  a  gold  monogram  E.  V. 
(Elena  — Victor  Emmanuel)  on  the  outside,  a  gold 
pencil  was  attached  by  a  gold  chain  and  the  whole 
affair  was  exquisite.  The  men's  dance  orders  were 
less  elaborate,  but  very  pretty.  An  immense  place 
was  arranged  for  wraps,  and  looking  about  me  I 
discovered  hundreds  of  gentlemen  standing  about 
chatting  to  each  other.  I  was  the  only  woman  in 
this  immense  room.  I  felt  rather  queer  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  wondered  if  we  had  gone  into  the  wrong 

[210] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

room,  but  everyone  seemed  to  look  perfectly  natu- 
ral, and  I  saw  numerous  ladies'  wraps  that  had  al- 
ready been  put  away,  so  I  allowed  myself  to  be  guided 
with  F.  B.  into  the  long  corridor  leading  to  the 
Royal  ballroom  and  State  apartments  of  the  Quiri- 
nal  Palace. 

Here  and  there  divans  and  chairs  had  been  placed, 
and  groups  of  beautifully  dressed  women,  and  Italian 
officers  in  all  the  splendor  of  their  full  dress  uni- 
forms, were  chatting  and  nodding  to  their  various 
friends  as  they  passed.  But  we  hurried  on  into  a 
large  ante-room,  through  which  one  must  pass  be- 
fore entering  the  ballroom. 

Near  the  entrance  I  discovered  the  pretty  Coun- 
tess Leonardi,  whose  mother  was  an  American,  and 
who  is  an  American  herself  by  birth,  although  she 
has  lived  all  her  life  in  Italy.  There  were  so  many 
beautiful  gowns  about  that  I  remember  only  that  she 
looked  very  pretty,  and  that  her  gown  was  of  some 
soft  yellow  material,  but  her  diamonds  I  distinctly 
recall  as  being  unusually  large  and  magnificent.  She 
was  very  kind,  and  told  us  just  how  and  where  to  go 
to  see  the  King  and  Queen  enter  the  ballroom  with 
their  Court.  There  was  something  of  a  crowd  at 
the  door  that  we  were  to  enter,  but  a  kindly  gen- 
eral of  large  proportions  made  a  way  for  us  to  pass, 

[211] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

and  we  soon  found  ourselves  just  opposite  the  door 
through  which  Their  Majesties  would  soon  come  with 
their  Court  in  attendance.  There  were  hundreds  of 
people  already  in  the  room,  and  all  the  rows  of  seats 
about  the  sides  were  filled  almost  to  the  point  of 
crowding.  The  absence  of  black  gowns  was  very 
noticeable,  and  I  was  told  that,  while  it  is  not  a  com- 
mand, it  is  generally  understood  that  black  gowns  are 
not  desired  at  the  Court  functions.  An  artist  would 
have  had  a  fine  opportunity  for  all  sorts  and  kinds  of 
expectation  studies,  for  everyone's  face  portrayed  the 
eager  expectation  with  which  all  awaited  the  en- 
trance of  the  Court. 

At  ten  minutes  before  eleven,  the  notes  of  the 
Royal  march  were  sounded,  and  to  its  accompani- 
ment Their  Majesties  entered  the  ballroom.  First 
came  the  Masters  of  Ceremony,  the  Marquis  Vorea 
d'Olmo,  the  Marquis  Scozia  di  Calliano,  the  Count 
Premoli,  the  Duke  di  Fragnito,  the  Duke  Cito  di 
Torrecuso,  the  Count  Avogadro  degli  Azzoni,  then 
immediately  preceding  Their  Majesties  came  H.  E. 
Count  Gianotti,  looking  most  elegant  and  distin- 
guished, and  wearing  his  numerous  orders  and  decora- 
tions. As  Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies  and  Prefect 
of  the  Palace,  he  led  the  way  for  Their  Majesties 
into  the  room.     The  King  wore  the  uniform  of  a 

[212] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

General  of  the  Italian  army,  with  the  "  Collar  of  the 
Annunziata,"  and  entered  the  room  with  the  Queen 
on  his  arm.  All  eyes  were  turned,  of  course,  in  the 
direction  of  the  Royal  pair.  His  Majesty  is  very 
distinguished-looking,  but  the  man  rarely  receives 
the  curious  glances  that  a  woman  always  gives  to  an- 
other of  her  sex,  however  exalted  the  position,  and 
surely  the  Queen  made  a  picture  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten. I  thought  her  the  most  beautiful  woman  I  had 
ever  seen,  when  I  was  presented  to  her  in  February, 
but  there  are  no  words  to  adequately  describe  her 
dazzling  beauty  of  last  night.  She  was  simply 
eb louts s ante y  and  even  that  expressive  French  word  is 
insufficient.  She  wore  a  beautiful  gown  of  white 
satin,  embroidered  effectively  with  opalescent  span- 
gles, with  the  result  that  her  dress  was  very  brilliant, 
yet  not  too  much  so,  as  many  spangled  dresses 
are,  and  the  soft,  opalescent  colorings  made  the 
historic  emeralds  of  the  Royal  house  of  Italy 
show  up  in  all  their  majestic  splendor.  Exquisite 
Bruxelles-point  lace  draped  her  decollete,  and  made 
an  appropriate  setting  for  the  two  great  emeralds, 
encircled  in  diamond  knots,  which  form  a 
part  of  the  famous  emerald  set,  and  were 
her  only  corsage  ornaments.  About  her  neck 
was  the  wonderful  emerald  necklace   (it  is  beyond 

[213] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

all  words,  really),  worn  with  many  diamonds  and  a 
beautiful  pearl  dog-collar,  while  in  her  hair  she  wore 
the  great  diadem  which  completes  this  world-re- 
nowned set,  of  which  each  stone  is  many  times  larger 
than  any  other  emerald  I  have  ever  seen,  and  cer- 
tainly these  jewels  have  never  adorned  a  more  beau- 
tiful woman.  Besides  all  these  gems,  she  wore  about 
her  neck  a  long  diamond  chain  that  fell  loosely  from 
her  shoulders  down  below  her  waist  line.  As  she 
entered  the  room,  we  all  involuntarily  held  our 
breath,  as  we  beheld  her  dazzling  beauty,  and  later 
in  the  evening,  when  some  Ambassador  spoke  to  the 
Queen  of  her  beautiful  appearance,  she  smilingly 
said,  "  I  am  not  beautiful,  but  look  at  my  Ladies-in- 
Waiting,  they  are,  indeed,  a  bower  of  beauty.'*  Of 
course,  the  Queen  was  all  wrong  about  her  lovely 
self,  but  she  was  right  about  her  ladies,  for  as  they 
entered  the  ballroom  after  Her  Majesty,  we  were  at 
loss  which  one  to  admire  most.  You  see,  the  Court 
is  all  young,  which  does  not  happen  very  often,  and 
for  that  reason,  I  believe,  the  Court  of  Italy  to-day 
is  the  most  beautiful  in  Europe.  The  King  led  the 
Queen  directly  to  her  throne  chair,  which  had  been 
placed  in  the  centre  at  one  side  of  the  room.  Her 
Majesty  took  her  seat  at  once,  but  the  King  stood 
talking  to  the  different  members  of  his  household, 

[2H1 


•'-i^yt^if&^i  ^lihyx^- ' 


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the  diiFercnt  me 
[214 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,   BY  TRYPMOSA    BATES    BATCHELLER 


C^ 


^i/.^.-^L^^^LM-<. 


V-<-g  vv. 


orTHe 


Of 


,t*^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

while  the  Ladies-of-the-Court  and  the  Ladies-of-the- 
Palace  took  their  positions  behind  the  chair  of  the 
Queen.  There  are  six  Ladies-of-the-Court,  each  of 
whom  becomes  a  member  of  the  Queen's  household 
for  two  months  in  the  year.  The  beautiful  Coun- 
tess Bruschi,  of  whom  I  have  written  you  before,  for 
instance,  lives  at  the  Palace,  or  goes  wherever  the 
Queen  may  go,  in  the  months  of  January  and  June, 
while  the  Duchess  of  Ascoli  takes  the  months  of 
February  and  July,  and  the  Countess  of  Trinita, 
March  and  August.  There  are  also  six  Ladies-of- 
the-Palace,  but  their  duties  are  not  quite  as  intimate, 
though  they  are  very  often  with  the  Queen  at  differ- 
ent times. 

Of  course  these  Ladies-in- Waiting  were  not 
chosen  for  their  beauty,  but  certainly  each  of 
them  is  beautiful  to  an  unusual  degree.  The 
Princess  Viggiano,  who,  before  her  marriage,  bore 
the  historic  name  of  BaufFrement,  seemed  to  me 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  ladies  attending 
Her  Majesty,  for  she  has  rare  distinction  in  her 
face  and  bearing,  as  well  as  beauty  of  line  and  form. 
Of  course,  they  were  all  "^«  grande  fenue"  last  even- 
ing, and  their  jewels  were  simply  dazzling,  so  many 
and  so  numerous  that  it  is  hopeless  to  try  to  describe 
them.     One  of  them  wore  a  long  chain  of  diamond 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 
solitaires,  reaching  from  the  shoulders  nearly  to  the 
knees,  and  their  tiaras  were  most  becoming,  and  not 
at  all  like  the  ordinary  "picket  fence"  of  diamonds 
that  one  sees  so  often  on  these  formal  court  occa- 
sions. At  the  left  of  the  King  stood  the  two  dis- 
tinguished women  who  have  received  from  His  Maj- 
esty the  decoration  of  the  "Collar  of  Annunziata," 
the  greatest  distinction  that  can  be  accorded  anyone 
in  Italy. 

The  King  spoke  first  with  Her  Excellency  the 
Marchesa  di  Rudini,  the  first  "  Collaresse,"  as  they 
say,  who  looked  very  handsome  in  a  white  gown 
trimmed  with  much  beautiful  lace,  and  ornamented 
with  her  magnificent  diamonds  and  pearls;  and  then 
after  speaking  to  the  other  "Collaresse,"  Donna 
Elena  Cairoli,  he  turned  and  talked  with  his  Gene- 
rals, the  Ambassadors,  etc.  Meantime,  at  a  sign 
from  Their  Majesties,  Count  Gianotti  gave  the  signal 
that  those  standing  might  resume  their  seats.  After 
having  watched  the  dancing,  which  had  now  com- 
menced, the  Queen  called  successively  the  two 
"Collaresses"  to  the  chair  beside  her,  and  had  a  lit- 
tle conversation  with  each.  She  then  arose,  six  of  her 
Ladies-in-Waiting  immediately  following,  and  walked 
to  where  the  Ambassadresses  were  seated  at  her  right, 
speaking  for  a  few   moments   with   each   of  them. 

[2,6] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

First  with  Mme.  Barrdre,  the  French  Ambassadress 
who  sat  nearest  the  throne,  as  she  has  been  longest 
at  the  Court  of  Italy.  She  looked  extremely  well, 
dressed  in  white  with  brilliant  jewels,  and  I  shall 
have  much  to  tell  you  about  her  and  her  great  ability 
later  on.  Next  came  the  American  Ambassadress, 
who  wore  a  becoming  gown  of  light  blue  with  fine 
turquoises,  then  the  Ambassadress  from  Austria-Hun- 
gary, and  then  the  wife  of  the  British  Ambassador, 
recently  appointed  to  Rome. 

Lady  Egerton  is  a  very  fine  and  distinguished- 
looking  woman.  You  remember,  I  wrote  you  of 
meeting  her  at  our  Embassy,  and  I  think  I  told  you 
also  what  a  wonderful  pianist  she  is.  She  has  invited 
me  several  times  to  the  British  Embassy,  and  has 
been  kind  enough  to  play  my  accompanirnents  when- 
ever I  have  sung  there.  She  seems  to  admire  my 
voice,  and  I  remember  to  have  been  told  that  Rus- 
sians nearly  always  prefer  the  lyric  soprano.  In  any 
case  she  has  been  very  kind  to  me,  and  we  go  to  her 
Embassy  one  evening  next  week.  She  is  a  woman 
of  rare  charm,  and  already  I  hear  her  spoken  of  on 
all  sides  with  much  enthusiasm,  though  she  has  been 
here  so  short  a  time^  ifThe  Queen  seemed  to  find 
her  very  charming  also,  ifilr  she  talked  with  her  quite 
a  long  time,  and  then,  prReded  by  the  Court  Cham- 

[217] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

berlains.  Count  Bruschi  and  the  Marchese  Callabrini, 
Her  Majesty  made  her  cercle  or  tour  of  the  ball- 
room. 

People,  of  course,  made  way  for  her  to  pass,  and 
as  she  walked  about  the  room  she  spoke  now  and 
again  to  two  or  three  ladies,  giving  her  hand  and 
bowing  to  many.  She  stopped  and  spoke  with  the 
pretty  Countess  Sanminiatelli,  whose  father-in-law 
was  Minister  to  Montenegro  at  the  time  when  Queen 
Elena's  marriage  was  arranged.  By  the  way,  I  paid 
a  visit  to  this  countess,  and  her  mother-in-law,  the  wife 
of  the  minister  just  referred  to,  is  a  sweet  American 
woman  from  New  Orleans.  As  the  Queen  came  nearer 
to  where  I  was  standing,  I  forgot  all  about  every- 
thing and  everybody  in  my  admiration  for  the  beau- 
tiful Royal  lady  herself,  and  almost  before  I  knew 
it,  she  was  standing  directly  in  front  of  me,  had  given 
me  her  hand,  and  I  was  making  a  low  courtesy. 
Her  Majesty  talked  with  me  first  about  the  dancing, 
and  asked  me  if  I  was  fond  of  waltzing;  as  I  replied  in 
the  affirmative,  she  said  she  hoped  the  rooms  would 
not  be  too  crowded  for  the  dancers  to  enjoy  them- 
selves. I  was  most  careful  not  to  introduce  any  new 
subject  nor  to  infringe  on  Royal  etiquette  in  any 
way,  but  Her  Majesty  asked   me  several  questions 

[218] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

about  the  Industrie  Femminiliy  and  seemed  very  much 
pleased  and  interested  when  I  told  her  I  had  planned 
to  take  some  of  the  work  back  to  America  with  me. 
She  spoke  of  the  book,  which,  as  you  know,  she  has 
given  me  permission  to  dedicate  to  her,  and  said  she 
would  look  forward  with  pleasure  to  receiving  it.  I 
did  not  realize  until  she  had  given  me  her  hand,  and 
said  good  evening,  that  we  really  had  been  talking 
some  little  time,  but  later  I  became  aware  that  Her 
Majesty  had  paid  me  a  very  great  compliment,  when 
two  distinguished  looking  women,  whom  I  did  not 
know,  spoke  to  me  and  remarked  upon  the  unusual 
interest  which  Her  Majesty  had  shown  in  me.  An- 
other lady  abruptly  asked  me,  "Do  you  paint?"  I 
replied  it  was  not  my  custom — "No,  pictures,  I 
mean,  I  have  never  seen  the  Queen  speak  so  long 
with  anyone!"  Naturally,  I  was  much  gratified  at 
Her  Majesty's  kindness.  No  wonder  the  King 
adores  her,  and  the  Queen  Mother  is  also  very  fond 
of  her. 

When  the  Queen  returned  to  her  chair,  each  of 
the  Ambassadors  in  turn  came  and  spoke  to  her. 

At  midnight  the  supper  rooms  were  opened.  At 
a  little  before  one,  the  Sovereigns  retired  from  the 
ball,  and  soon  after  many  of  the  older  people  went  away 

[219] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

also.  R.  and  Count  Sanminiatelli  offered  to  take  us 
through  the  different  rooms.  We  met  Mrs.  D.  and 
her  daughters  from  Boston ;  and  in  the  Mirror  Room, 
where  the  floral  decorations  were  superb,  we  met  a 
number  of  friends,  Mrs.  McGee,  looking  extremely 
well  in  velvet  and  jewels,  Signor  V.,  one  of  the 
King's  secretaries,  and  many  others.  In  one  of  the 
supper  rooms,  where  all  sorts  of  good  things  were 
being  lavishly  dispensed,  we  met  Prof.  Sgambati  and 
his  wife  talking  to  H.  E.  Mme.  Ohyama,  wife  of 
the  Minister  from  Japan.  Sgambati  was  wearing  all 
his  decorations  and  orders,  and  Mme.  Ohyama  was 
in  her  Japanese  costume,  so  they  made  a  very  attrac- 
tive picture.  I  was  introduced  to  Her  Excellency, 
and  we  had  a  pleasant  chat.  After  we  had  made  a 
tour  of  the  rooms  we  went  home. 

R.  told  me  that  the  reason  there  were  so  many 
men  in  the  hall  when  we  arrived,  was  because  no  sin- 
gle man  is  allowed  to  enter  the  ballroom  until 
Their  Majesties  have  formally  opened  the  ball,  so 
all  those  poor  men  who  were  waiting  around  when 
we  entered,  had  come  unaccompanied  by  ladies,  and 
had  to  wait  till  the  time  appointed  for  their  admis- 
sion to  the  ball  room.  It  was  an  evening  long  to  be 
remembered,  and  beside  being  a  very  interesting  ex- 

[  220] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

perience,  it  was  for  me,  one  of  the  happiest  evenings 
of  the  winter. 

We  have  received  an  invitation  from  Her  Majesty 
Queen  Margherita,  to  meet  her  in  private  audi- 
ence on  Wednesday,  March  8th.  Is  n't  it  odd  how 
Wednesday  and  good  fortune  go  hand  in  hand  almost 
invariably  for  me? 


[221] 


XXIX 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

PRESENTATION    TO    QUEEN    MARGHERITA 

Rome,  Italy,  March  8,  1905 
My  dear  M,  : 

YOU  remember,  I  wrote  you  that  we  had 
received  an  invitation  from  her  Majesty 
Queen  Margherita  to  meet  her  in  private 
audience  at  her  beautiful  palace  on  the  afternoon 
of  Ash  Wednesday,  March  8th.  Once  more,  you 
see,  a  Wednesday  was  good  to  me.  I  was  very 
much  pleased  that  Queen  Margherita  should  wish  to 
receive  me,  because  she  sees  comparatively  few  of  the 
foreigners  who  come  to  Rome,  and  I  was  surprised 
that  she  was  interested  to  meet  so  young  a  woman  as 
myself ;  but,  of  course,  I  was  quite  delighted,  as  I 
have  always  had  such  an  admiration  for  Her  Majesty. 
Do  you  remember  years  ago  when  we  were  staying 
in  Naples,  how  I  always  wanted  to  drive  up  and 
down  the  boulevard  in  front  of  the  Viale  Nazionale, 
where  the  Queen  drove  every  afternoon  ?  We 
thought  then  that  her  Majesty  was  very  charming, 

[  222] 


HER  MAJESTY  QUEEN  MARGHERITA  OF  SAVOY 


'/^SSifeii-«.;>.:---:':rT^Ss';:  **■%:•>■  -. 


-ii«fty/t-c^i^'f  ^^ffff.  y^'U^  .'^^tu/iJi.ihKt^  .^iJMfe^  ^-a^e/i^/^i't^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

as  her  carriage  passed  swiftly  by ;  her  coachman  and 
footman,  in  their  scarlet  liveries  and  gold  lace,  im- 
pressed me  tremendously,  and  I  remember  we  always 
remarked  her  peculiarly  sweet  smile.     She  is  just  the 
same  to-day,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  how  pleased  I  am  to 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  talking  with  so  brilliant 
and  cultured  a  woman,  as  well  as  so  august  a  Sovereign. 
In  the  early  afternoon,  we  drove  to  the   Palazzo 
Margherita,  formerly  the  Palazzo  Piombino,  which 
was  bought  for  the  Queen  Mother  after  the  death 
of  the   late  King.     Our  appointment  was  at  three 
o'clock,  and  we  were  received  with  much  the  same 
ceremonies  as  at  the  Quirinal  Palace.     At  the  head 
of  the  stairs,  a  similar  line  of  footmen  stood,  like 
statues,  only  that  these  wore  all  black  satin  liveries,  as 
the  Queen  is  still  in  half-mourning.    We  were  shown 
at  once  into  a  large,  elegant  drawing  room,  where 
the  Marchesa  Villamarina,  who  is  always  in  waiting 
upon  Queen  Margherita,  met  us  with  charming  cor- 
diality.    She  was  pleased   apparently  that  I  spoke 
Italian,  and  asked  me  if  I  was  an  automobile  enthu- 
siast.    She  herself  is  much  interested  in  motoring, 
for  Queen  Margherita  has  become  a  great  traveller 
in  her  fine  motor  car,  and  is  always  accompanied  on 
her  various  excursions  about  Italy  by  the  Marchesa 
Villamarina,  of  whom  she  is  very  fond. 

[223] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

A  distinguished-looking  officer,  wearing  many 
orders,  who  had  also  been  bidden  to  a  private  audi- 
ence, was  waiting  with  his  daughter.  I  think  we 
really  waited  quite  a  little  while,  though  the  time 
passed  very  quickly,  as  I  enjoyed  talking  to  the 
Marchesa  so  much.  At  last  the  lady  who  had  been 
presented  just  previous  to  our  arrival  entered  the 
room  where  we  were,  and,  after  ceremonious  adieux 
to  the  Marchesa,  took  her  leave. 

It  was  now  three  o'clock,  the  time  for  our  presenta- 
tion, and  the  kindly  Marchesa  drew  aside  the  curtain, 
and  led  us  into  the  presence  of  Her  Majesty  Queen 
Margherita.  The  same  three  courtesies  were  here,  as 
with  all  Royalty,  de  n'geur,  but  nothing  could  be  more 
charming  than  Her  Majesty's  reception  of  us.  She 
made  me  sit  beside  her  on  the  divan,  and  talked  to 
me  of  Rome,  of  America,  about  which  she  has  read 
a  great  deal,  and  many  other  interesting  things.  She 
told  me  about  a  charitable  house  to  which  she  has 
arranged  for  very  little  children  to  be  brought,  whose 
mothers  must  work  all  day,  and  through  Her 
Majesty's  generosity  and  kindness  nurses  are  pro- 
vided who  may  properly  and  satisfactorily  care  for 
the  children.  I  told  her  that  a  similar  effort  had 
been  made  in  Boston  to  help  the  poor  Italian  women 
who  came  to  America,  and  this  seemed  to  interest 

[224] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

her  very  much.  Then  we  spoke  of  music  and  art, 
and  altogether  had  a  most  interesting  conversation. 
She  reads  nearly  all  the  best  of  our  books,  as  well  as 
the  best  modern  literature  of  France  and  Germany. 
She  is  very  fond  of  modern  music,  but  has  a  greater 
love  for  Mozart,  Beethoven  and  the  classics,  at  which 
I  was,  of  course,  delighted.  With  all  the  know- 
ledge, she  is  not  in  the  least  pedantic,  but  her  many 
accomplishments  and  quick  wit  make  her  a  most 
brilliant  conversationalist.  She  spoke  to  me  entirely 
in  Italian,  but  to  F.  B.  in  English,  and  she  said  to 
him,  with  one  of  those  rare  smiles  for  which  she  is 
famous,  "  Do  you  realize.  Sir,  that  few  foreigners 
come  to  Italy  who  speak  Italian  as  well  as  your 
wife  ?"     Was  n't  that  splendid ! 

The  Queen  was  dressed  in  a  very  rich  black  satin, 
but  her  only  ornaments  were  a  short  string  of  her 
world-famed  pearls,  and  one  or  two  clear,  large  moon- 
stones set  in  diamonds.  Everybody  knows  about  her 
pearls,  how  King  Umberto,  each  birthday,  gave  her 
a  long  string,  each  a  little  longer  than  the  one  before, 
until  now  there  is  no  collection  of  pearls  in  the 
world  so  large  or  so  famous  as  those  belonging  to 
Queen  Margherita. 

Everything  about  her  palace  was,  as  one  might 
expect,  elegant  and  in  perfect  taste.     She  is  certainly 

[225] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 
a  woman  of  exceptional  talents,  a  constant  student, 
and  a  kind  and  generous  patron  of  art  in  all  its 
branches.  From  the  time  that  she  married  Um- 
berto  of  Savoy,  and  took  her  place  as  the  young 
Princess  of  the  Royal  household,  she  has  made  her- 
self beloved  throughout  all  Italy,  from  Turin  to  Na- 
ples. As  you  know,  she  was  the  daughter  of  the 
late  Duke  Ferdinand  of  Genoa,  and  her  mother  was 
a  Royal  Princess,  daughter  of  the  King  of  Saxony. 
All  Germans  are  so  *^ grundlich**  (thorough);  and  I 
think  that  Queen  Margherita's  German  blood  has 
helped  to  make  her  what  she  is  acknowledged  by 
all  to  be,  one  of  the  most  cultured  women  in  Europe. 

I  told  her  about  our  Comitato  of  the  Societa  Dante 
Alighieri^  in  Boston,  and  she  seemed  interested  to 
hear  about  the  lecture  that  Prof.  Ettore  Pais,  Di- 
rector of  the  National  Museum  at  Naples,  gave  to 
our  Circolo  just  before  I  came  from  home. 

She  is  a  great  student  of  Dante,  and  rarely  misses 
one  of  the  Lectura  Dantisy  that  are  given  here  in  the 
large  Salla  del  Nazzareno  each  Sunday  afternoon  by 
some  well  known  man  of  letters.  R.,  kind  as  always, 
has  taken  F.  B.  and  me  to  hear  some  of  them.  One 
Sunday  we  went  a  little  early,  and  happened  to  see 
Her  Majesty  arrive.  She  bowed  and  smiled  so  pleas- 
antly to  us  as  she  passed  up  the  corridor  to  the  lec- 

[226] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

ture  hall,  on  the  arm  of  the  Marchese  Guiccioli,that 
we  were  very  glad  we  had  come  early  on  this  par- 
ticular day. 

To-day,  also.  Her  Majesty  was  very  gracious,  and 
gave  us  a  long  audience;  when,  at  last,  she  arose,  she 
was  kind  enough  to  say,  as  she  bade  us  good-bye, 
that  she  hoped  we  should  return  to  Rome  next  win- 
ter. We  backed  out  of  the  room,  although  Her 
Majesty  smilingly  said,  "  Don't  trouble  to  back  out, 
there  are  so  many  chairs  in  the  way,"  but  I  told  Her 
Majesty  that  as  long  as  we  had  the  privilege  of  look- 
ing at  her  beautiful  self,  it  was  not  likely  that  we 
should  willingly  turn  away. 

The  Marchesa  Villamarina  was  also  most  kind  in 
her  adieux,  and  especially  asked  us  to  acquaint  her 
with  our  arrival  in  Rome  next  year,  and  hoped  we 
would  pay  her  a  visit. 

Just  as  we  were  going  out,  Mme.  Diie  and  her 
sweet  daughter  came  in.  Lilly  was  looking  very 
pretty  in  a  light  silk,  and  they  made  me  promise 
then  and  there  to  spend  an  evening  with  them  this 
week.  Mon.  Diie  has  been  one  of  Sweden's  most 
distinguished  diplomats,  and  has  represented  his 
King  at  the  most  brilliant  courts  of  Europe,  having 
been  for  several  years  at  St.  Petersburg,  Berlin,  Lon- 
don and  Paris.      He  is  a  very  clever  musician,  and 

[227] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

has  written  some  most  attractive  songs,  which  his 
daughter  sings  delightfully.  He  is  much  pleased 
with  my  voice,  and  praised  it  very  highly  when  I 
sang  the  other  evening  at  the  British  Embassy. 
Mme.  Due,  before  her  marriage,  was  a  Lady-in- Wait- 
ing to  the  Czarina  of  Russia.  We  like  them  all 
immensely,  and  have  enjoyed  going  to  their  evenings 
at  home.  They  are  so  musical  and  cultured  them- 
selves, that  they  naturally  have  about  them  very  in- 
teresting people. 

We  often  coax  Mr.  Diie  to  play  his  singular  pi- 
ano-forte composition,  written  for  two  fingers  and 
intended  to  be  played  with  the  forefinger  of  each 
hand.  He  told  us  that  when  he  was  Minister  to 
France,  a  charming  old  French  lady,  who  had  been 
a  fine  pianist,  was  bemoaning  her  fate,  because  she 
could  no  longer  play.  "My  fingers  are  all  useless 
with  rheumatism,"  she  exclaimed,  "I  have  only  two 
that  I  can  use."  Gallant  Mr.  Diie  at  once  replied, 
**Then  I  will  compose  a  piece  for  you,  Madame, 
that  can  only  be  played  with  two  fingers,"  and  he 
did.  It  is  really  very  quaint  and  pretty.  He  has 
been  most  kind  to  me,  and  only  yesterday  sent  me  a 
collection  of  songs,  with  a  pretty  dedication  on  the 
cover.  Just  think!  He  ordered  them  all  the  way 
from  Stockholm. 

[228] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

When  we  left  the  palace  of  the  Queen  Mother, 
we  drove  directly  to  the  Grand  Hotel,  where  Donna 
Bice  Tittoni  had  asked  us  to  come  to  a  sale  of  laces 
and  embroideries  made  by  the  lace  schools,  under  the 
patronage  and  protection  of  a  society  of  Italian 
ladies  recently  formed  here  in  Rome,  and  called  the 
Industrie  Femminili.  Donna  Bice  Tittoni  is  at  the 
head  of  the  Roman  committee,  and  was  looking 
very  stunning  this  afternoon,  in  a  blue  velvet  gown, 
with  touches  of  ermine,  and  a  most  becoming  black 
hat.  She  presented  me  to  Countess  Suardi,  one  of 
the  patronesses  of  the  organization,  and  to  Countess 
Cora  Brazza,  a  charming  New  Orleans  woman,  to 
whom  is  due  the  credit  of  making  one  of  the  first 
moves  of  this  society.  I  do  not  know  enough  yet 
about  it  to  write  you  in  detail,  but  the  things  I 
bought  are  perfectly  beautiful,  and  I  am  anxious  to 
learn  more  about  how  and  where  they  are  made. 
All  the  ladies  were  very  cordial,  and  many  of  them 
asked  me  to  come  and  see  them,  so  I  presume  later 
on  I  shall  be  able  to  tell  you  more  intelligently 
about  the  work. 

During  the  afternoon  the  Countess  Taverna  came 
in,  looking  handsome  in  black  velvet,  with  a  large 
black  velvet  hat,  that  was  very  effective  on  her  soft 
white  hair.     She  is  not  old  at  all,  but  her  hair  has 

[229] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

been  white  since  she  was  a  young  girl  of  twenty, 
and  it  surely  is  most  becoming.  I  took  a  special  in- 
terest in  the  laces  that  were  made  at  her  school, 
first,  because  they  are  really  beautiful  and  unusual, 
and  then,  because  I  had  such  an  admiration  for  the 
lovely  Countess  herself,  to  whom  I  am  very  much 
drawn.  She  has  invited  us  to  come  to  her  Lenten 
receptions,  and  as  they  are  said  to  be  quite  as  elegant 
as  any  here  in  Rome,  we  feel  we  are  specially 
privileged.  I  saw  a  beautiful  piece  of  lace  that 
I  wanted,  and  asked  the  price  of  a  lady,  who 
was  presented  to  me  as  Donna  Bianca  Capranica  del 
Grillo,  the  daughter  of  Adelaide  Ristori.  Such  a 
charming  personality!  Donna  Bianca  is  most  de- 
voted to  her  famous  mother,  and  was  nice  enough  to 
ask  me  to  call  on  the  great  Marchesa.  I  am  over- 
joyed at  the  prospect  of  meeting  the  famous  Ristori 
whom  you  have  told  me  so  much  about.  The  ladies 
invited  me  to  have  tea  with  them,  and  I  enjoyed  the 
afternoon  very  much.  Now  my  room  is  strewn 
with  bundles,  as  the  result  of  my  purchases  at  the 
sale,  though  I  was  obliged  to  leave  behind  some  of 
the  loveliest  sofa  pillows  I  have  ever  seen,  because  I 
knew  they  simply  would  not  go  into  my  trunks, 
which  are  already  rather  crowded;  but  I  tried  to  buy 
something  from  each  of  the  schools,  so  that  you  may 

[230] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

have  a  better  idea  of  the  various  kinds  of  work  that 
are  done  in  the  different  parts  of  Italy,  as  I  know 
you  are  always  so  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to 
women's  work. 

F.  B.  goes  on  his  daily  pilgrimage  to-morrow  to 
the  Vatican,  where  he  is  making  a  special  study  of 
the  Raphael  stanze.  I  mean  to  go  once  or  twice 
myself  in  the  afternoon,  but  I  do  not  allow  anything 
to  interfere  with  my  musical  mornings.  I  sing  for 
an  hour,  with  rests  between,  and  then  I  study  new 
music  without  singing,  till  lunch  time.  I  have  be- 
come much  interested  in  the  old  Italian  songs  of  the 
fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  and  I  think  you 
will  be  pleased  with  some  that  I  shall  sing  for  you 
when  I  return  home. 

I  am  a  little  tired,  as  we  have  had  a  rather  event- 
ful and  exciting  day  so  I  shall  say  good-night. 


[231] 


XXX 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

THE    ROMAN    LENT 

Rome,  Italy,  March  9,   1905 

Dear  M. : 

I  HAD  expected  that  in  a  city  where  His  Holi- 
ness the  Pope  dwells.  Lent  would  be  most 
rigorously  observed,  and  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  that  when  the  carnival  gayeties  were  over,  I 
must  lead  a  quiet  existence  with  my  musical  studies 
and  occasional  visits  to  my  friends.  But  anyone 
who  has  lived  in  Rome  knows  that  Lent  is  one  of 
the  most  enjoyable,  if  not  really  gay  seasons  of  the 
year.  The  balls,  to  be  sure,  are  over  and  there  is  no 
dancing,  but  instead,  the  Roman  matrons  open  the 
doors  of  their  great  palaces  in  the  most  hospitable  way, 
and  invite  their  friends  to  a  series  of  what  might  be 
called  Lenten  evenings. 

You  remember  I  wrote  you  that  the  Countess 
Taverna  had  invited  us  to  come  to  her  Lenten 
receptions,  which  are  the  first  to  begin  after  Ash 
Wednesday,  as  she  receives  on  Thursdays.     Accord- 

[232] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE    ' 

ingly,  about  half-past  ten,  we  drove  away  from  the 
hotel,  down  the  Via  del  Tritone,  on  and  on,  leaving 
the  new  part  of  Rome  altogether.  The  carriage 
turned  into  little  by-ways  and  side  streets,  where  only 
now  and  then  a  dim  light  flickered,  and  when  at  last 
the  carriage  passed  through  the  little  old  Via  Panico, 
and  drove  up  the  steep  ascent,  covered  by  the  great 
stone  portico,  into  the  large  cour^  yard  of  the 
Palazzo  Taverna,  I  said  to  F.  B.,  "  We  have  surely 
driven  back  to  the  middle  ages."  But  my  statement 
was  quickly  contradicted  when  we  entered  the  long 
series  of  drawing  rooms,  which  one  might  almost 
call  the  state  apartments  of  the  Countess.  Many 
people  had  arrived  before  us,  and  at  first  I  could  not 
find  the  hostess,  as  there  is  no  formal  "receiving*'; 
but  one  of  the  ladies  in  the  first  room  through  which 
we  passed,  told  me  that  the  Countess  was  in  the  next 
room,  and  we  had  not  crossed  the  threshold,  before 
she  came  to  greet  us.  "  How  charming  of  you  to 
come,"  she  said  smilingly,  and  she  at  once  presented 
us  to  her  husband,  the  Count,  who  is  a  man  of  great 
wealth  and  position,  and  a  Senator  in  the  parliament 
of  Italy.  To  F.  B.'s  delight,  he  spoke  English 
fluently,  and  the  two  were  soon  deep  in  politics,  while 
the  charming  Countess  introduced  me  to  a  great 
many  people,  and  spared  no  pains  to  make  my  even- 

[233] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ing  most  delightful  and  agreeable,  I  had  rather 
dreaded  to  go,  as  I  feared  I  might  not  know  many 
people,  but  my  fears  were  soon  dispelled  by  the 
thoughtfulness  and  courtesy  of  the  Countess.  I 
happened  to  wear  an  Irish  lace  dress,  and  the  Coun- 
tess was  much  interested  in  the  pattern  of  it,  for  she 
intends  having  the  little  girls  in  her  school  taught 
to  make  the  Irish  lace  as  well  as  the  beautiful  filet, 
about  which  I  have  written  you.  I  have  never  seen 
anywhere  a  more  charming  hostess  than  the  Countess 
Taverna.  She  makes  no  effort  in  receiving,  but  she 
is  ever  mindful  of  the  happiness  of  each  and  every 
one  of  her  guests.  She  always  seems  to  introduce  the 
right  people  to  one  another,  and  has  that  rare  gift 
of  saying  the  right  thing  to  everybody.  She  is  one 
of  the  best  proofs  of  your  favorite  saying,  "  Blood  will 
tell,"  for  she  belongs  to  the  illustrious  family  of  the 
Buoncompagni-Ludovisi,  and  before  her  marriage 
was  the  Princess  Piombino. 

Both  branches  of  the  family  come  from  Bologna, 
and  they  have  given  two  Popes  to  the  Vatican ;  Ugo 
Buoncompagni,  a  learned  doctor  of  the  University 
of  Bologna  (and  the  instructor  of  such  men  as  Ales- 
sandro  Farnese  and  St.  Charles  Borromeo),  who  be- 
came Pope  Gregory  XIII  in  1572.  It  was  he 
who  revised  the  calendar  by  striking  out  leap  year  at 

[234] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

the  close  of  each  century  except  the  fourth.  This 
Buoncompagni  Pope  was  thoroughly  competent  to 
administer  the  affairs  of  the  great  position,  both  judi- 
cially and  politically.  He  was  a  very  kindly  person, 
but  he  abhorred  the  thought  of  any  one  trying  to 
arrogate  an  influence  over  him  as  the  cardinals  so 
often  used  to  do.  He  was  a  great  lover  of  splendor 
and  magnificence,  and  spent  enormous  sums  on  his 
Papal  Court,  though  he  also  did  much  to  spread  the 
growth  of  the  Church  through  missionaries.  He 
was  indirectly  connected  with  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  and  was  always  in  constant  fear  of 
war  with  the  Turks  and  the  heretics.  Gregory 
XV  belonged  to  the  other  branch  of  the  family  of 
Ludovisi,  the  estates  and  titles  of  which  came  into 
the  Buoncompagni  family  through  marriage.  Ales- 
sandro  Ludovisi  also  came  from  Bologna,  and  was 
made  Pope  under  the  name  of  Gregory  XV  in  1623. 
To  him  is  due  the  founding  of  the  College  of  the 
Propaganda  Fide,  an  establishment  ^or  the  propa- 
gation of  the  Roman  Catholic  Faitfx,  where  pu- 
pils of  different  nationalities  are  educated  as  mission- 
aries. In  an  old  record  of  the  election  of  the  Popes, 
I  read,  "  In  the  election  of  Gregory  XV  the  op- 
eration of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  made  manifest,  for 
Borghese,  who  had  the  command  of  six  more  votes 

[235] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

than  were  required  to  make  the  Pope  at  his  own 
pleasure,  had  resolved  to  have  Campori  elected,  but 
three  of  his  creatures  dissenting,  and  other  obstacles 
afterwards  arising,  he  was  induced  to  nominate  his 
creature,  Ludovisi,  but  more  by  the  instigation  of 
others  than  by  his  own  inclination.**  Gregory 
XV  was  a  protector  of  the  Capuchins,  and  inclined 
also  to  be  rather  favorable  to  the  Jesuits,  though  as 
the  account  runs,  "  He  took  recourse  to  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  with  a  wary  confidence.** 

One  of  the  Countess's  brothers  is  Prince  Piom- 
bino,  another  Prince  Venosa,  and  another  Prince 
Luigi  Buoncompagni,  while  her  sister,  the  Princess 
Pallavicini  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  grandes 
dames  of  Italy. 

The  Countess,  her  sister-in-law,  the  Princess  Ve- 
nosa, and  her  sister  just  mentioned,  are  both  Ladies- 
in-Waiting  to  Her  Majesty,  Queen  Margherita. 
Because  she  is  patrician,  because  she  is  beautiful,  cul- 
tured and  rich,  she  is  simplicity  itself  in  her  bearing 
and  manners. 

These  receptions  are  distinctly  a  Roman  institu- 
tion ;  the  young  people  usually  all  gather  in  one 
room,  and  have  general  good  times  together,  play- 
.ng  games  or  just  chatting  in  groups.  Many  of  the 
men  also  gather  in  groups  and  discuss  the  affairs  of 

[236] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  day,  while  the  ladies,  all  in  full  evening  dress  and 
magnificent  jewels,  move  about  from  one  room  to 
another,  talking  to  their  various  friends  ;  and  with 
the  elegant  and  richly  frirnished  rooms  as  a  back- 
ground, the  whole  scene  is  very  effective.  Usually 
these  receptions  are  preceded  by  a  dinner  which  the 
hostess  gives  to  her  more  intimate  friends,  and  people 
are  coming  and  going  all  the  evening.  The  Countess, 
knowing  that  I  was  a  comparative  stranger,  took  me 
all  about,  showed  me  her  beautiful  Giulio  Romano 
pictures,  and  told  me  how  she  had  bought  this  fa- 
mous palace  from  a  member  of  the  Orsini  family 
some  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago. 

How  can  I  tell  you  of  all  the  people  I  have  met 
these  last  few  months,  many  of  whom  I  already  feel 
as  if  I  knew  quite  well,  so  exceptionally  kind  and 
hospitable  have  these  Roman  ladies  been  to  me. 
Last  night  I  had  a  long  talk  with  the  Marchesa  Cap- 
pelli,  a  niece  of  the  famous  Baron  Hirsch.  She 
speaks  English,  French  and  German,  and  I  do  not 
know  how  many  more  languages,  all  with  perfect 
ease,  and  is  devoted  to  music.  She  lives  in  the  great 
Torlonia  palace,  and  I  have  promised  to  sing  at  her 
reception  next  Wednesday. 

Scarcely  an  American  did  we  see,  though  lovely 
Mrs.  Thomas  McKean,  looking  as  if  she  had  stepped 

[237] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

from  some  old  Master's  canvas,  was  there  with  her 
husband,  and  I  had  a  few  moments'  pleasant  talk  with 
her.  Had  I  not  known  who  she  was,  I  might  have 
thought  her  an  Italian,  her  hair  is  so  black  and  her 
eyes  so  dark  and  brilliant,  quite  after  the  Sicilian 
type.  She  dresses  exquisitely  in  colors  and  gowns 
that  set  off  her  beauty  to  great  advantage,  and  she  has 
been  greatly  admired  here  during  the  winter.  The 
only  other  American  whom  we  met  was  Miss  Broad- 
wood,  who  has  lived  with  her  family  in  Italy  so 
long,  that  she  is  practically  an  Italian,  and  whose 
beautiful  sister  has  married  into  the  Ruspoli  family. 

Among  the  men,  the  tall  straight  figure  of  the 
Duke  of  Sermoneta  was  quite  conspicuous,  and  among 
the  younger  women,  the  Duchess  Visconti  di  Mo- 
drone  carried  off  the  honors  for  grace  and  beauty. 
You  will  say  that  the  word  "beauty"  pervades  my 
letters,  but  my  dear,  the  word  "beauty"  pervades  all 
Italy,  and  it  is  especially  applicable  to  most  of  the 
Italian  women,  so  if  I  describe  things  as  they  are,  I 
must  tell  you  that  they  are  beautiful,  or  exquisite,  or 
lovely,  until  the  dictionary  invents  more  words  to  ex- 
press the  same  idea. 

The  Countess  presented  me  to  Her  Highness,  the 
Princess  Malcolm  Khan,  wife  of  the  Minister  from 
Persia  to  the  Quirinal,  who  was   orientally  resplen- 

[238] 


froi 


}v-.      Had  I 

not 

tho 

eye:               rk 

aiK 

after   the  Sicilian 

type 

•   gowns 

that  set  oft 

id  vantage,  ani 

been  gr 

tmired 

onls 

crican 

>liss  Broad- 

loil; 

1 

1  whose 
!>oli  &mily. 

A 

are  of  the 

THE  PRINCESS  D'ANTUNI 

and  among 

r  di  Mo- 

droi  I 

,  cles   mv 

Ital 

Ital 

mils'  xquisit 

until  th 


M( 


le  to  Her  Highness,  the 
:  fe  of  the  Minister  t  • 
Quirin  is   orientally  rcsp 


^^..ihu^u^  -U^CiiJi- 


rt~^ 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,   BY  TRYPHOSA  BATES  BATCHELLER 


VBRA^ 
UNIVERSITY 


OF 
.»FO» 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

dent  in  black  velvet  and  many  diamonds.  Another 
most  distinguished  woman  present,  was  the  Countess 
della  Somaglia,  who,  before  her  marriage,  was  one 
of  the  Doria  Princesses,  and  who  also  has  delightful 
Lenten  evenings  at  home;  there  were  many,  many 
others  that  I  cannot  take  the  time  to  write  you 
about. 

Before  we  knew  it,  it  was  after  twelve  o'clock, 
and  people  began  to  take  their  leave.  The  Countess 
bade  us  good-night,  only  after  making  us  promise 
that  we  would  come  again  next  week,  and  I  assure 
you  it  was  not  a  difficult  promise  to  make,  for  we 
had  spent  such  a  very  pleasant  evening. 

Another  one  of  the  very  fine  palaces  is  that  of  the 
Del  Drago  family,  presided  over  by  the  dainty  Prin- 
cess d'Antuni,  whose  Lenten  receptions  are  very  bril- 
liant and  animated,  like  the  hostess.  The  main  hall 
or  gallery  of  the  palace  is  very  long  and  beautifully 
decorated  with  frescoes  by  Zucchero.  After  I  fin- 
ished singing  the  other  evening  at  one  of  these  recep- 
tions, the  Princess  took  me  all  about,  showing  me 
her  famous  paintings  by  Murillo,  Guido  Reni,  and 
numerous  other  great  masters.  The  Princess  before 
her  marriage  had  the  pretty  name  of  Elika  Potenzi- 
ani,  the  family  came  from  Bologna  and  her  title  was 

[239] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Princess  San  Mauro.  She  reminds  one  of  a  dainty 
bit  of  Dresden  china,  with  her  very  Hght  hair,  blue 
eyes  and  exquisite  pink  and  white  coloring.  People 
often  seem  surprised  that  Italians  do  not  all  have 
black  hair  and  dark  eyes,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
there  are  a  great  many  blondes. 

In  the  dining  room  of  this  Palazzo  del  Drago, 
there  is  as  fine  a  fire-place  as  I  remember  to  have 
seen  in  any  of  the  chateaux  in  Touraine ;  the  buffet 
was  very  elaborate  and  the  table  set  with  gold  plate. 
It  was  so  interesting  to  me  to  see  this  old  feudal  pal- 
ace, with  its  high  ceiling,  magnificent  fire-places  and 
many  other  things,  which  spoke  of  a  time  long  gone 
by,  perfectly  lighted  in  the  most  modern  and  effec- 
tive way  with  electricity.  The  people  also  who  were 
moving  about  in  these  grand  old  rooms  were  dressed 
in  the  very  latest  Paris  fashion,  but  I  felt  that  if  I 
rubbed  my  eyes  and  looked  again  more  closely,  I 
should  see  the  stiff  white  ruffs,  and  the  puffed  sleeves 
of  the  costumes  of  the  day  to  which  the  palaces  be- 
longed. 

The  Princess  is  very  fond  of  music,  and  showed 
her  appreciation  of  my  singing  by  taking  special 
pains  to  have  me  meet  a  great  many  of  her  friends ; 
later  in  the  evening  she  took  me  into  her  own  bou- 
doir, where  she  showed  me  her  most  extensive  musical 

[240] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

library.  She  is  very  young  and  beautiful,  but  with  it  all 
very  accomplished,  as  so  many  of  the  fashionable  Italian 
women  seem  to  be.  She  speaks  four  or  five  languages 
with  perfect  fluency,  and  while  her  gowns  are 
always  perfect  and  she  is  very  fond  of  dancing  (her 
balls  are  famous),  she  can  talk  most  interestingly 
with  any  one  on  art,  history,  literature  or  politics,  as 
the  case  may  be.  It  is  a  pleasant  and  striking  feature 
of  the  society  here  in  Rome,  that  the  women  are  so 
extremely  well  educated.  Of  course,  they  have 
many  advantages  in  Rome  that  are  not  easily  had  else- 
where, for  all  the  world  comes  here  sooner  or  later, 
and  the  society  is  most  cosmopolitan,  giving  ample 
opportunity  for  practice  in  various  languages. 
Naturally,  they  know  art,  because  the  great  masters, 
whom  we  study  about  at  home,  have  spent  much  of 
their  lives  in  decorating  the  palaces  in  which  these 
women  have  been  brought  up.  They  know  history, 
for  their  families  have  made  it,  and  they,  one  and 
all,  have  a  charm  of  manner  that  I  think  is  peculiar 
to  the  Italian  woman. 

The  American  women  who  have  married  in  Italy 
have  also  made  themselves  very  much  beloved,  and 
contrary  to  the  general  belief,  many  of  them  have  been 
married  not  for  their  money,  but  for  their  personal 
charm  and  sweetness  of  character.     One  instance  I 

[241] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

know  of  especially,  where  an  American  girl,  who 
had  not  a  penny  of  dot,  married  one  of  the  richest 
Italian  nobles  in  Rome,  and  now  presides  most  grace- 
fully over  two  or  three  palaces  and  castles. 

So  far  as  I  know,  the  marriages  of  our  American 
girls  with  Italian  noblemen  have  been,  for  the  most 
part,  very  happy,  and  it  is  generally  conceded  that  the 
Italians  make  excellent  husbands  and  fathers. 

We  went,  the  other  evening  to  the  lovely 
palace  of  the  Princess  Venosa,  of  whom  I  have 
written  you  before.  Her  receptions  are  exclusive 
and  quiet,  but  very  delightful,  and  her  drawing 
rooms  are  invariably  decorated  with  wonderful 
flowers,  sent  from  her  villa  at  Albano.  I  have  never 
in  all  my  life  seen  such  carnations  as  filled  the  vases 
on  the  table  at  the  Princess's  reception  the  other 
evening.  Mr.  Lawson's  "  glorious  pink "  would 
seem  tiny  beside  these  wonderful  Venosa  carnations 
that  seemed  to  be  in  all  colors  and  all  shades.  All 
about  were  the  largest  camellia  plants  I  have  ever  seen, 
reaching  to  the  high  ceilings  and  covered  with 
blossoms, — in  fact,  all  the  flowers  were  gigantic  of 
their  kind,  and  I  was  told  that  the  Venosa  green- 
house carries  off  most  of  the  prizes  at  the  horticul- 
tural shows  each  year. 

[242] 


THE  MARCHESE  CAPPELLI 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,   BY   TRYPHOS*  BATtS   BATCHEILER 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Colonel  and  Mrs.  Lamb,  who,  by  the  way,  is  a 
very  attractive  English  woman,  have  also  had  some 
charming  afternoons  at  home,  and  their  apartment 
in  the  Piazza  dellTndipendenza  is  effectively  decorated 
with  many  tiger  skins,  trophies  of  the  Colonel's 
hunting  during  his  service  in  India.  At  present  the 
Colonel  is  the  British  Military  Attache  here  in 
Rome. 

The  Princess  Poggio  Suasa,  nee  Curtis,  of  New 
York,  has  a  very  pretty  apartment  just  across  the 
street  from  us  ;  we  have  enjoyed  her  evenings  at 
home  extremely,  for  she  is  much  liked,  and  all  the 
world  goes  to  her  Friday  evenings.  Her  charming 
sister,  the  Marquise  de  Talleyrand,  is  here  now  with 
the  Princess.  She  is  a  great  traveler  and  one  hears  of 
her  sometimes  at  her  dear  Chatsworth  Club,  then  in 
New  York,  but  she  usually  spends  part  of  the  winter 
in  Rome,  though  directly  you  reach  Paris  in  the 
spring,  you  are  sure  to  see  her  in  one  of  the  best 
boxes  at  the  opera.  Somewhere  in  her  trunks  she 
has  tucked  away  the  "fairy  seven-league  boots,"  I 
am  sure, — ^yet  she  is  always  so  animated  and  gay 
that  one  cannot  think  of  her  as  ever  being  tired. 


[243] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

The  Marchesa  Cappelli  receives  on  Wednesdays  in 
the  elegant  Torlonia  palace,  and  all  Rome  passes 
through  her  lovely  drawing-rooms  between  three 
and  seven.  The  Marchesa  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
women  in  Rome,  and  her  friends  are  legion.  I 
enjoyed  singing  for  her  immensely,  for  she  had 
arranged  everything  so  well,  and*  afterward  I  was 
presented  to  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  Mathieu, 
who  had  said  to  his  hostess,  "I  wish  to  meet  the 
nightingale."  He  is  a  very  cultured  Frenchman, 
fond  of  music  and  society,  and  goes  about  a  great 
deal.  The  long  music  room  of  the  Marchesa  is 
hung  with  beautifully  embroidered  satin  draperies, 
and  when  I  exclaimed  to  her  about  them,  she  smil- 
ingly said,  "  Oh  !  I  embroidered  them  all  myself!  ** 
I  asked  her  when  she  ever  found  the  time,  going 
about  as  she  does  to  everything,  but  she  laughed  and 
said,  "  One  always  can  find  time  for  things  one  likes 
to  do,  and,  of  course,  the  Roman  season  does  not 
begin  until  December  or  January.**  The  other  day 
at  one  of  these  afternoon  receptions,  a  woman  was 
lamenting  that  she  had  no  time  to  see  anything  of  her 
friends,  because  she  was  so  busy  rushing  about  from 
one  engagement  to  another,  and  yet,  she  said,  "  In 
October,  when  we  all  have  nothing  to  do  but  arrange 
our  houses,  we  are  each  more  cross  than  the  other  if 

[244] 


iaH02 kU  HHT- 


ClljU)  c 

arrange 


low. 


f  Jlf     TTlf-kv 


THE  MARCHESA  CAPPELLl 


COPYRIGHT,    tSOt,   BY  TRrPHUSA  BATtS  BAICHELLtK 


GLIMPSES  OiF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

anyone  tries  to  visit  us  or  interrupt  the  winter  instal- 
lation of  our  houses.  If  I  should  go  to  see  anyone 
in  October,  I  dare  say  they  would  receive  me,  but 
they  would  be  very  annoyed,  and  I  presume  I  should 
feel  the  same.** 

At  one  of  the  Marchesa  Cappelli's  receptions  I 
met  the  sister  of  His  Excellency  Signor  Tittoni,  the 
Marchesa  Berardi,  who  is  chaperoning  her  two 
pretty  daughters  everywhere  this  winter.  She  is 
handsome  like  her  brother,  and  looks  very  much  like 
him. 

One  of  the  distinguished  women,  whom  we  see 
everywhere,  is  Her  Highness  the  Princess  Ratibohr 
de  Corvey,  who  has  never  left  the  continent,  yet 
speaks  English  as  well  as  you  or  I.  Many  of  these 
women  are  brought  up  by  English  governesses  and 
learn  to  speak  English  before  their  own  tongue. 

There  are  many  more  things  I  want  to  write  you, 
but  it  is  very  late,  so  good  night — ^for  this  time. 


[245] 


XXXI 
To  C.  R. 

Rome,  Italy,  March  lo,  1905 
My  dear  C, : 

WE  have  been  so  very  busy,  and  have  been 
going  about  such  a  lot,  that  I  really  have 
not  had  time  to  write.  Mrs.  M.  came  in 
the  other  afternoon,  and  said  we  were  getting  much 
too  frivolous  ;  that  we  were  not  devoting  nearly  as 
much  time  as  we  should  to  visiting  and  studying  the 
wonders  of  Rome.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  suppose 
she  is  perfectly  right,  but  when  alluring  invitations 
come  from  these  fascinating  Italian  ladies,  I  cannot 
make  up  my  mind  to  decline,  wonders  or  no  won- 
ders. Rome  has  been  here  quite  a  while,  but  one 
never  knows  how  long  these  lovely  people  will  be 
here  with  their  villas  and  castles  calling  them  away 
every  now  and  then  to  their  feudal  glory  in  the 
country. 

Anyhow  to-day,  thanks  to  Mrs.  Mozley,  we  have 
been  properly  serious  and  have  seen  many  interesting 

[246] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

things  in  her  enthusiastic  company.  We  drove  first 
to  the  American  Cemetery,  which  is  very  near  the 
Porta  San  Paolo.  In  1825  this  land  was  set  apart 
for  the  burial  of  strangers,  and  a  little  chapel  in  Ro- 
manesque style  was  erected  in  1898,  at  the  west  end 
of  the  cemetery.  Many  distinguished  men  and  wo- 
men, lovers  of  dear  Italia,  have  been  buried  here,  and 
while  the  place  is  called  the  "  English  and  American 
Cemetery,*'  it  is  too  near  the  most  cosmopolitan  city 
in  the  world,  not  to  be,  in  reality,  cosmopolitan  also. 
It  is  a  very  restful  spot,  from  which  one  has  lovely 
views,  and  as  I  stood  under  the  lofty  cypress  trees 
that  shade  the  place,  I  could  quite  understand  Shel- 
ley's writing  of  the  old  cemetery  just  adjoining :  "  It 
might  make  one  in  love  with  death,  to  think 
one  should  be  buried  in  so  sweet  a  place."  Poor 
Shelley's  ashes  are  buried  here,  though  his  heart  (the 
only  part  of  his  body  not  consumed  by  flames,  when 
his  remains  were  burned  in  the  Bay  of  Spezia),  is  at 
Boscombe,  England.  John  Keats,  too,  is  buried  here, 
and  on  his  tomb  one  reads  the  pathetic  line  written 
by  the  poet  himself,  and  placed  on  his  grave-stone  at 
his  request :  "  Here  lies  one  whose  name  was  writ 
in  water."  John  Gibson,  the  English  sculptor,  who 
died  in  Rome,  in  1866,  is  also  buried  here.  We 
pass  his  house  in  the  Via  Babuino,  mornings,  as  we 

[247] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

walk  down  into  the  Piazza  di  Spagna.  Goethe's 
son,  too,  lies  here,  and  many  others  of  many  nations. 
Lovers  of  art  all  over  the  world  come  to  great  Rome 
to  enjoy  and  study  its  treasures,  and  it  seems  only  fit- 
ting that  those  whose  life's  thread  is  cut  in  this 
adored  land,  may  find  a  suitable  resting  place  to- 
gether, near  the  city  in  which  they  have  loved  and 
labored. 

Mr.  Waldo  Story  has  recently  sculptured  a  lovely 
monument  in  memory  of  his  wife  who  is  buried  here. 
It  represents  an  angel  kneeling  at  an  altar  in  the  atti- 
tude of  weeping.  The  Genius  of  Grief,  it  is  called, 
most  appropriately,  and  Mrs.  M.  gave  me  one  of  the 
photographs  that  she  has  had  especially  taken  of  the 
monument,  as  there  are  none  for  sale. 

When  we  came  away  we  walked  across  the  old 
cemetery  to  the  Pyramid  of  Caius  Caestus  Epulo,  who 
died  1 2  years  B.  C.  He  was  quite  a  personage,  ac- 
cording to  the  inscription  on  the  sides  of  the  great 
tomb,  a  prsBtor,  tribune  of  the  people,  etc.,  etc.  We 
were  anxious  to  enter  the  vault,  so,  after  some  per- 
suasion, the  workmen,  who  were  making  some  slight 
restorations,  consented,  and  with  the  aid  of  torches, 
we  obtained  a  very  fair  view  of  the  old  frescoes  in 
the  little  vaulted  room  about  twenty  feet  long  in  the 
centre  of  the  great  Pyramid.     In  the  middle  ages, 

[248] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

this  Pyramid  was  believed  to  be  the  tomb  of  Remus : 
and  that  reminds  me,  the  other  day  when  we  went 
over  to  the  Forum  to  brush  up  our  memory  a  little 
(I  'm  afraid  it  needed  a  good  deal  of  renovating,  there 
is  so  much  in  the  Forum  to  remember  and  mem- 
ories are  so  elusive  at  times),  we  did  actually  see  the 
real  tomb  of  Romulus,  or   at  least,  what  the  archa- 
ologists  believe  to  be  his  tomb.     The    old   classic 
writers  refer  to  certain  stones  in  the  Forum,  desig- 
nated as  the  "  niger  lapis,"  which  were  supposed  to 
mark  an  unlucky   spot,  because  the  Romans  were 
thus  reminded  of  the  tomb  of  the  founder  of  their 
city ;  and,  according  to  the  general  belief,  Romulus 
lay    buried   deep    down   under   those   black  stones. 
Signor  Boni,  the  indefatigable  archaeologist,  who  has 
literally  dug  up  so  much  important  knowledge  in 
recent  years,  discovered,  first,  the  "  niger  lapis,"  and 
then  decided  to  investigate    the    supposed  place  of 
burial  of  Romulus.     In  the  most  skilful  way,  he  has 
excavated  around  and  under  the  black  stones  with- 
out displacing   them  at  all,  and  lo  and  behold  !   he 
has  found  the  most  curious  cone  of  yellowish  tufa, 
and  behind  this,  a  tufa  cippus  in  the  shape  of  a  trun- 
cated quadrangular  pyramid.      On  the  four  faces  this 
cippus  bears  an  inscription  in  Greco-Archaic  letters, 
the  like  of  which  has  never  been  seen,  and  which  as 

[249] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

yet  no  one  has  been  able  to  decipher.  All  around 
have  been  found  ashes,  coals,  bones  of  bulls  and  wild 
boars,  that  were  brought  there  as  votive  offerings 
probably.  Some  of  the  bucchero  vases  that  were 
used  by  the  ancients  for  their  tombs,  and  some  little 
archaic  brown  statues  in  the  Phoenician  style,  have 
also  been  discovered.  Nobody  really  knows  why  all 
these  things  were  put  there,  though  I  believe  there 
is  no  question  that  they  belong  to  the  seventh  cen- 
tury before  Christ. 

A  lighted  torch  enabled  us  to  see  the  markings 
more  clearly  and  they  are  certainly  very  curious. 
Dear  me  !  If  we  keep  on  we  shall  prove  true  all 
the  fables  of  the  olden  times.  Now  that  Dr.  Schlie- 
mann  has  dug  up  Troy,  and  Signer  Boni  unearthed 
the  tomb  of  Romulus,  perhaps  somebody  will  some 
day  find  Aladdin's  Lamp. 

But  retournons  aux  moutons.  Not  content  with 
all  these  interesting  things,  Mrs.  M.  set  off  in 
another  direction  and  calmly  announced  to  her 
courier  that  she  wished  to  go  over  the  house  of 
Beatrice  Cenci.  *^  Non  e  possibilcy  Signora,'*  ("It  is 
not  possible"),  he  replied,  ** la  casa  non  e  aperta  al 
pubblico'*  ("the  house  is  not  open  to  the  public"). 
With  a  queer  little  determined  smile,  Mrs.  M.  closed 
the  door  of  the  carriage  and  repeated,  "  I  wish  to  go 

[250] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

to  the  house  of  Beatrice  Cenci,"  and  the  courier 
meekly  mounted  the  box,  and  told  the  driver  to  go 
to  the  Palazzo  Cenci-Bolognetti,  which  is  situated 
in  the  Ghetto  or  Jewish  quarter,  near  the  Piazza 
Tartaruga. 

On  the  way  we  talked  over  the  story  of  poor,  un- 
happy Beatrice,  whose  father  was  so  wicked  and 
cruel  to  her,  that  after  struggling  in  vain  to  escape 
his  indignities,  she  finally  murdered  him,  with  the 
help  of  her  brother  and  step-mother.  The  Pope, 
Clement  VIII,  knowing  the  extenuating  circum- 
stances, said  he  would  pardon  the  unfortunate  girl, 
but  another  patricide  was  reported  to  him  from  an 
adjacent  town,  and  he  felt  he  must  make  an  example; 
so  poor  Beatrice  was  executed  with  her  two  accom- 
plices, September  iith,  1599,  in  front  of  Castel 
Sant'  Angelo.  We  saw  the  gloomy  dungeon  where 
she  was  confined  when  we  went  over  the  Castello  a 
few  mornings  ago,  and  near  it  was  another  where 
the  celebrated  goldsmith  Benvenuto  Cellini,  who 
was  such  a  valiant  soldier,  was  also  imprisoned.  The 
artist,  Guido  Reni,  is  said  to  have  been  deeply  in 
love  with  the  young  and  beautiful  Beatrice,  and  you 
remember  his  lovely  portrait  of  her.  As  we  are  so 
near,  we  ran  into  the  Gallery  of  the  Barberini  Palace 
to  have  a  look  at  it  yesterday,  and  saw  also  the  one 

[251] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

of  the  step-mother  by  Gaetano.  Beatrice  certainly 
was  lovely,  but  recent  accounts  take  all  the  romance 
out  of  the  story,  and  make  her  out  quite  a  dreadful 
person. 

All  admission  to  the  Palazzo  Cenci  was,  as  we  ex- 
pected, denied  us,  but  Mrs.  M.,  who  was  most  per- 
sistent and  persuasive,  finally  opened  the  doors  with  a 
little  silver  magic,  and  an  old  peasant  woman  call- 
ing, "  Fenga,  venga  (Come,  come),"  at  every  turn, 
showed  us  all  about  the  house.  It  is  an  enormous 
old  palace,  cold  and  gloomy,  and  its  feudal  vastness 
seems  a  fitting  place  for  the  scene  of  such  a  fearful 
tragedy.  We  were  shown  the  room  where  poor 
Beatrice  lived,  and  her  portrait  forms  part  of  the 
really  fine  frescoes  on  the  wall,  which  to-day  were 
singularly  hung  in  the  Swedish  colors,  as  the  room 
is  used  now  for  a  Swedish  club;  the  Cenci  family, 
though  still  prominent  in  Rome,  do  not  occupy  this 
part  of  the  palace  now.  If  I  remember  correctly, 
one  of  the  Lorrillard-Spencers  of  New  York  mar- 
ried a  Cenci  here. 

The  old  peasant  woman  seemed  quite  delighted  at 
our  interest,  and  insisted  on  the  other  servants  letting 
us  look  into  the  little  room  where  Beatrice  was  con- 
fined after  her  crime,  before  she  was  taken  to  the 
dungeons    in    Castel    Sant'   Angelo;   it  was  only  as 

[252] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

large  as  a  closet,  but  it  was  made  to  serve  as  a  family 
kitchen,  and  amidst  the  pots  and  kettles  hanging  on 
the  wall,  we  discovered  as  a  sort  of  frieze  a  half 
broken  bas-relief  of  fruits  and  flowers  that  seemed 
singularly  appropriate,  considering  the  present  con- 
ditions and  use  of  the  room. 

The  archaeologists  tell  us  that  the  Cenci  palace  is 
built  on  the  substructions  of  the  theatre  of  Balbus, 
erected  by  L.  Cornelius  Balbus  as  a  compliment  to 
the  Emperor  Augustus,  in  1 3  B.  C,  and  since  it  was 
first  built  it  has  never  been  enlarged.  What  a  city, 
or  rather,  layer  of  cities  is  the  Rome  of  to-day !  It 
has  been  said,  that  every  period  of  civilization  has 
left  its  mark  in  some  way  here,  from  the  open,  luxuri- 
ous buildings  of  the  intelligent,  courageous  Romans 
of  pagan  times,  to  the  gloomy  isolated  fortresses  of 
the  feudal  lords  of  the  mediaeval  days. 

On  our  way  home  we  stopped  at  the  Pantheon. 
This  wonderful  building  was  built  by  Agrippa,  the 
son-in-law  of  Augustus,  in  27  B.  C,  and  was  pri- 
marily intended  as  the  sudatorium  or  sweating  room 
of  the  great  therms,  or  baths,  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected. It  is  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  perfect 
productions  of  what  is  specifically  called  Roman 
architecture.  It  was  so  imposing  after  its  comple- 
tion, that  the  Romans  felt,  evidently,  that  this  glori- 

[253] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ous  dome  was  more  fitted  for  a  temple  for  the  gods 
than  for  man,  and  it  was  afterwards  dedicated  to  Jupi- 
ter the  Avenger.  PHny  speaks  of  the  Pantheon  as 
"some  of  the  finest  works  the  world  has  ever  be- 
held— the  roofing  of  the  Pantheon  of  Jupiter  Ultor 
that  was  built  by  Agrippa."  The  building  was  re- 
paired by  Septimius  Severus  and  Caracalla,  and  the 
statue  of  Jupiter,  that  was  formerly  in  this  temple,  is 
now  in  the  Hall  of  Busts  in  the  Vatican  museum;  it 
is  a  copy  of  the  famous  Jupiter  by  Phidias.  Of 
course  the  building  has  undergone  many  changes, 
and  one  has  no  idea,  from  the  aspect  of  the  Greek 
portico  in  front,  of  the  wondrous  structure  behind, 
which  is  generally  considered  to  be  one  of  the  great- 
est triumphs  of  the  human  mind  over  matter  in  con- 
nection with  the  law  of  gravity.  Conflagrations, 
earthquakes,  revolutions  (and  Rome  has  seen  one 
hundred  and  fifty  of  them),  even  Time,  have  striven 
in  vain  to  destroy  this  wonderful  and  unique  struc- 
ture. 

As  one  enters  the  circular  interior,  the  light  eflfects 
produced  by  the  great  aperture  in  the  centre  of  the 
dome — which  is  thirty  feet  in  diameter — are  so 
beautiful  that  many  people  in  olden  times  believed 
that  the  temple  derived  its  name  of  Pantheon  from 

[254] 


GLIMPSE^    O 


Oi 


xls 


■'Si^r. 

of  the 

'*  -t   ;  • 

t 

he  world  has  evi 
thf'on  of  Jupiter 
Se  huildine   v. 

nd  the 

< 

ft  . 

uiscum:  it 

a. 

•—< 

a: 

Of 

course    the   " 

< 

changes. 

o 

e  Greek 

z. 

0 

'hind, 

'j-enero ' 

X 

h 

great- 

z. 

< 

Ill  con- 

a. 

U] 

agrations. 

earthquakes,  re 

seen  one 

hundred  and  M\ 

have  striven 

in  vain  to  destroy 

th 

nioue  struc- 

ture. 

As  one  enters  the  circul 

^ht  effects 

produced  by  the  great  ape 

e  of  the 

—which    is 

thirty  feci 

—  are  so 

^hat  many  people  in 

olden   times  bch'ever^ 

pic  derived  its  name  of  Pantheon 

"254; 

GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

its  resemblance  to  the  vaulted  dome  of  heaven. 
Fluted  columns  of  giallo  antico  (antique  yellow 
marble)  support  the  architrave,  and  it  is  interesting 
to  see  how  successfully  the  pavonnazetto  has  been 
made  to  imitate  the  giallo  antico.  We  can  appreci- 
ate here  how  cleverly  the  Greeks  were  able  to  tint 
their  marble  without  concealing  the  beauty  and  tex- 
ture of  the  noble  material  itself. 

In  609  A.  D.,  Pope  Boniface  IV  dedicated 
the  Pantheon  as  a  Christian  church  to  all  the  mar- 
tyrs, with  the  name  of  Sancta  Maria  ad  Martyres, 
and  at  that  time  twenty-eight  wagon  loads  of  the 
bones  of  martyrs  were  brought  here  from  the  Cata- 
combs. The  beautiful  bronze-gilt  tiles  of  the  roof 
were  ruthlessly  carried  off  to  Constantinople  by  Em- 
peror Constantine  II,  and  the  magnificent  bronze 
cornice  that  encircles  the  aperture  of  the  dome  is 
the  only  part  of  the  once  magnificent  bronze  deco- 
rations of  the  interior  of  the  building.  You  have 
heard  the  saying  of  Pasquino,  "  ^od  nonfecerunt  bar- 
bariyfecerunt  BarberinV  ("What  the  barbarians  did 
not,  the  Barberini  have  done"),  and  in  1632  Pope 
Urban  VIII,  one  of  the  Barberini  family,  had  the 
audacity  to  carry  off  the  brazen  tubes  on  which  the 
roof  rested,  as   well  as  other  ancient  bronze  relics, 

[255] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  had  them  melted  up  and  made  into  columns  for 
the  canopy  of  the  high  altar  at  St.  Peter's,  and  can- 
non for  the  fortress  of  Sant*  Angelo. 

Originally,  the  color  effect  of  the  marbles  of  the 
floor  must  have  been  very  beautiful,  though  the 
sunken  bases  of  the  columns  show  that  the  original 
mosaic  has  been  changed  and  raised  in  the  course  of 
time,  but  even  now  the  color  scheme  is  very  effec- 
tive, while  due  provision  for  the  drainage  of  the 
water,  which  naturally  must  enter  from  the  aper- 
ture at  the  top,  is  made  without  in  any  way  injuring 
the  effect  of  the  pavement. 

We  were  anxious  to  see  something  more  of  the 
baths  of  Agrippa,  and  as  we  clambered  up  the  stone 
stairs  leading  from  one  side  of  the  church,  that  we 
might  get  a  better  idea  of  the  ruins,  we  came  across, 
on  a  sort  of  landing  shut  in  by  shaky  doors,  the 
queerest  old  man  acting  as  guard  and  guide  to  this 
part  of  the  building.  It  was  an  extremely  cold  day — 
we  were  all  tightly  wrapped  in  our  furs — but  this 
old  man  sat  quietly  at  a  table  working  away  with 
numerous  cleverly  arranged  threads  pinned  on  to  a 
cushion  before  him  and  which  he  tied  in  regular  and 
irregular  knots.  If  you  will  believe  it,  all  that  he 
had  to  keep  him  warm  was  a  small  brazier  of  hot 
ashes,  placed  beside  him ;   I  cannot  understand  how 

[2J6] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

he  was  able  to  endure  the  cold.  By  tying  and  un- 
tying the  threads  in  knots,  he  made  the  prettiest 
book-marks  in  very  even  patterns,  with  a  patience  that 
passed  all  understanding.  I  asked  him  where  he  had 
learned  to  make  these  pretty  things,  and  he  told  me 
that  when  quite  a  little  boy,  an  old  aunt,  who  lived 
far  away  in  a  small  town  in  the  mountains,  had 
taught  him  the  work  he  was  then  doing.  "  In  my 
old  age,  what  I  learned  so  long  ago  is  my  only 
means  of  support,'*  he  said.  I  bought  one  of  his 
pieces  of  work  that  he  said  had  taken  him  a  week  to 
make,  and  felt  almost  ashamed  when  I  paid  him  his 
price  of  five  francs.  He  told  me  that  Queen  Mar- 
gherita  had  bought  a  great  deal  from  him,  and  he 
seerhed  very  grateful  and  appreciative  of  Her  Maj- 
esty's kindness.  We  were  shown  all  about  the  ruins, 
which  are  most  interesting,  although  one  gains  a 
very  imperfect  idea  of  the  baths,  as  so  many  of  them 
are  built  into  houses  that  the  original  structure  can- 
not be  altogether  determined.  But  parts  of  the 
lovely  frieze,  ornamented  with  tridents,  dolphins  and 
other  things  suggestive  of  water  and  baths,  have  been 
skilfully  replaced  in  their  original  position. 

Our  old  guide  showed  us  also  the  little  private 
chapel  where  the  Queen  Mother  and  other  members 
of  the  Royal  family  come  to  hear  mass  privately.    It 

[257] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

is  here  that  King  Victor  Emmanuel  II  and  the  late 
King  Umberto  I  are  buried.  Early  in  January  of 
each  year  there  is  held  a  great  memorial  service  in 
the  Pantheon,  which  is  attended  by  Queen  Marghe- 
rita.  Their  Majesties,  the  King  and  Queen,  all  the 
Royal  household,  the  diplomatic  corps  and  the  "  Col- 
lars of  the  Annunziata."  We  saw  the  place  where 
a  beautiful  monument  is  being  erected  to  the  late 
King,  and  we  were,  of  course,  interested  in  Raphael's 
Tomb,  which  bears  the  graceful  epigram  composed 
by  Cardinal  Bembo:   i 

"Ille  hie  est  Raphael,  timuit  quo  sospite  vind 
Rerum  magna  parens,  et  moriente  mori." 

The  poet  Pope  has  translated  this  as  follows: 

"Living,  great  Nature  feared  he  might  outvie 
Her  works  ;  and,  dying,  fears  herself  to  die." 

On  the  altar  at  the  left  is  the  statue  of  the  silver 
Madonna  that  is  supposed  to  have  wonderful  cura- 
tive powers.  It  was  executed  by  Lorenzetto  in  ac- 
cordance with  Raphael's  last  will,  and  above  the 
niche  to  the  right  of  the  altar  is  an  epitaph,  marking 
the  burial  place  of  Maria  Bibbiena,  Raphael's  be- 
loved, whom  he  made  so  famous  in  his  paintings.  It 
is  here  also  that  Ann.  Carracci,  Taddeo  Zucchero,  and 

[258] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

other  famous  men  in  the  world  of  art  are  buried.  Alto- 
gether, I  think  it  is  quite  the  most  interesting  place 
in  Rome,  for  the  Past  and  the  Present  seem  to  meet 
here  and  clasp  hands,  and  the  great  Past  seems  to 
promise  a  great  Future  to  the  young  united  Italy  of 
to-day.  Certainly  more  valiant  heroes  and  more 
ardent  patriots  cannot  be  found  in  the  annals  of  old 
Rome  than  Victor  Emmanuel  II  ("  //  Re  Galan- 
tuomo**)  and  Umberto  L  It  was  to  this  edifice,  once 
a  pagan  temple,  that  the  bones  of  the  Christian  mar- 
tyrs were  brought  to  consecrate  the  Christian  church ; 
and  it  seems  probable  that  at  a  time,  now  not  far  dis- 
tant, the  Pope  and  the  King  may  meet  here  in  com- 
plete reconciliation.  Certain  it  is  that  the  Blacks 
are  no  longer  so  bitterly  opposed  to  the  young  King 
and  his  rule  as  formerly,  and  I  know  one  young  man, 
who  bears  a  famous  name,  who  tells  you  with  pride 
that  two  of  his  uncles  belong  to  the  College  of  Car- 
dinals, yet,  in  the  same  breath,  tells  you  that  he  him- 
self is  secretary  in  the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  for 
His  Majesty,  the  King.  During  the  old  days  of  the 
bitter  strife  between  the  Pope  and  the  State,  no  per- 
son of  White  politics  was  ever  seen  at  a  party  given 
by  one  of  the  Blacks  and  nothing  could  induce  a 
member  of  a  distinguished  Black  house  to  enter  the 
doors  of  one  of  the  King's  adherents.     But  the  old 

[259] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

days  are  passing  away  and  only  the  old  ruined  castles 
in  the  mountains  are  left  of  the  bitter  suspicions  of 
the  feudal  days,  while  the  hatred  of  Guelfs  for  Ghib- 
bellines  is  fast  becoming  a  memory. 

The  resources  of  Italy  are  so  great  that,  if  the 
Italians  can  only  follow  dear  old  Benjamin  Franklin, 
"and  all  hang  together,"  they  are  bound  to  make  a 
great  and  prosperous  nation,  for  they  have  as  a  heri- 
tage one  of  the  most  glorious  countries  on  the  earth. 


[2.60] 


XXXII 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  March  ii,  1905 
My  dear  M.: 

I  hope  you  received  my  cable  sending  you  my 
best  birthday  wishes.     Best  love,  dear,  always. 
I  wish  I  could  fly  over  seas  and  have   a   good 
birthday  frolic  with  you. 

Yesterday  afternoon  we  took  a  long  drive  out  by 
the  barracks  on  the  parade  ground,  past  the  road  that 
leads  to  the  Villa  Madama,  and  came  home  by  the 
way  of  the  Ponte  Molle  (such  an  interesting  old 
bridge).  We  turned  into  the  road  that  leads  to  the 
spring  of  the  Acqua  Acetosa  to  see  a  motley  throng 
filling  bottles  at  the  spring.  The  water  is  free  to  all 
who  care  to  go  for  it,  and  as  it  is  very  soft,  and  good 
to  drink,  many  poor  people  come  out  here  with 
their  little  donkey  carts,  fill  numbers  of  bottles,  and 
peddle  the  water  for  one  or  two  cents  per  bottle  in 
the  streets  of  Rome. 

Before  going  home  we  stopped  to  see  Mrs.  Broad- 

[261] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

wood  and  her  daughters,  who  have  a  very  pretty 
apartment  in  the  Piazza  dell'Indipendenza. 

Last  evening  we  went  to  one  of  Mme.  Due's 
musical  evenings.  The  Princess  Solms  Braunfels 
was  delighted  with  my  song  by  Lefebre,  **Ici  has 
tons  les  lilas  meurentJ*  She  said  it  was  her  favorite 
poem  and  made  me  sing  it  two  or  three  times  over. 
Lilly  very  kindly  played  my  accompaniments. 

The  Crown  Princess  of  Sweden  is  passing  a  few 
days  in  Rome,  and  her  Lady-of-Honor  was  there  last 
night.  She  had  to  leave  early,  she  said,  as  she  had 
much  correspondence  to  attend  to  for  Her  Highness. 
Baronne  Von  Bildt,  the  wife  of  the  Minister  from 
Sweden  to  England,  was  there  also ;  I  like  her  very 
much,  and  have  enjoyed  going  to  her  receptions 
which  are  always  delightful.  Her  husband  was 
formerly  Minister  to  Italy,  and  she  is  so  devoted  to 
Rome,  that  she  comes  here  in  the  winter  as  often  as 
she  can.  She  has  such  a  pretty  little  daughter,  who 
speaks  seven  languages,  though  she  is  only  twelve 
years  old. 

Mr.  Du6  kindly  played  for  us  last  evening,  a  young 
German  nobleman  played  an  interesting  sonata  on 
the  violin,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  altogether 
we  had  a  fine  "  musical  good  time." 

[262] 


XXXIII 
To  T.  C.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  March  17,  1905 

My  dear  P.: 

I  AM  afraid  you  will  think  my  letters  are  rather 
infrequent  of  late,  but  the  fact  is,  we  have  been 
so  extremely  busy,  people  have  been  doing  so 
much  for  us,  and  our  good  times  have  been  so 
numerous,  that  I  really  have  not  had  a  moment  when 
I  could  write  you  a  satisfactory  letter. 

Yesterday  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  invited 
by  the  daughter  of  Prince  Massimo  to  attend  the 
yearly  festival  given  at  the  Palazzo  Massimo,  on 
March  1 6th,  in  commemoration  of  the  miracle  per- 
formed in  the  palace  in  1583  by  St.  Filippo  Neri. 

From  a  fragment  of  the  "  Bull "  issued  by  Pope 
Urban  XIII,  dated  A.  D.  1623,  at  the  time  of  the 
canonization  of  Filippo  Neri,  I  have  the  following 
account  given  me  by  the  Prince,  that  was  taken  from 
the  life  of  the  saint,  by  P.  Giacomo  Bacci,  a  priest  of 
the  congregation  of  the  Oratorio  di  Roma,  an  order 
founded  by  St.  Filippo. 

[263] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Prince  Fabrizio  Massimo,  having  five  daughters, 
was  very  anxious  for  a  son  and  heir.  Accordingly,  he 
asked  Fihppo  Neri,  the  priest  of  the  family,  to  add 
his  prayers  that  a  son  and  heir  might  be  born  to 
the  house  of  Massimo,  and  Filippo  consented  pro- 
viding the  child  should  be  named  as  he  might 
dictate.  In  due  time  a  son  was  born  and  christened 
Paolo  by  the  holy  father,  and  soon  after  the  birth 
of  the  boy,  the  Princess,  his  mother,  died.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  Paolo  was  taken  ill  with  a  fever,  but 
he  bore  his  sufferings  with  such  patience  that  Ger- 
manica  Fedeli  offered  to  exchange  his  health  for  the 
sufferings  of  the  invalid,  but  the  holy  Paolo,  confess- 
ing each  day  to  the  priest,  Filippo,  refused  to  cure 
himself  at  the  expense  of  another's  health.  His 
fever  grew  worse  and  he  became  weaker  daily,  so 
that  the  holy  father  Filippo,  begged  the  family  to 
acquaint  him  at  once  with  any  change  in  the  in- 
valid's condition.  At  the  time  that  the  messenger 
tried  to  approach  the  priest  to  notify  him  of  the 
boy's  sinking  condition,  the  holy  man  was  saying 
mass,  and  therefore  could  not  be  interrupted.  When 
at  last  the  mass  was  finished,  and  the  holy  father 
learned  of  the  serious  turn  that  the  illness  of  the  boy 
had  taken,  he  hastened  to  the  palace,  only  to  find 
Paolo  dead.     Shutting  himself  in  the  room  with  the 

[264] 


in  auc  tij 
i  .loio   by  the    1» 


iic    mignc 
hristened 

'        ■  ■    !h 


age  oi  lourtc 
he  bo 


manic 


trie 


>proac 


o 
s 

o 
< 

a: 


.wS&enger 
f  the 


.  Hen 


or  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


or 


^*t'Ponr*X^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

dead  boy,  he  prayed  for  some  time,  sprinkled  the 
body  with  holy  water  and  called  to  him  twice  in  a 
loud  voice,  "  Paolo,  Paolo  !**  At  the  sound  of  the 
saint's  voice,  the  boy  opened  his  eyes  as  if  awakening 
from  a  sleep,  and  responded,  "  Father,  I  have  for- 
gotten one  sin  which  I  wish  to  confess."  The  holy 
father  absolved  him  from  his  sin,  and  the  family 
entered  the  door  to  find  the  boy  returned  to  life. 
Paolo  quietly  answered  many  questions  in  regard  to 
his  dead  mother  and  sister,  and  on  being  asked,  if  he 
had  departed  this  life  willingly,  answered  in  the 
affirmative.  The  holy  father  repeated  the  question, 
"  Do  you  willingly  die,"  and  the  boy  responded 
that  he  was  anxious  to  join  his  mother  and  his  sister 
in  Paradise.  Therefore,  the  holy  father  gave  him  the 
benediction  of  the  church,  and  said  to  him,  "  Go 
and  be  blessed  and  pray  to  God  for  me."  There- 
upon, with  a  smiling  countenance  and  without  any 
further  movement,  the  boy  fell  back  quietly  into  the 
arms  of  the  holy  father  and  was  dead.  This  last 
scene  took  place  in  the  presence  of  his  father,  Fa- 
brizio,  his  two  sisters,  the  nun  St.  Martha,  Violante 
Santa  Croce,  his  stepmother,  and  the  domestic  who 
attended  him  in  his  illness,  called  Francesca. 

All  Rome  believes  devoutly  in  this  miracle  and 
from  the  crowds  at  the  palace  inside  and  out,  I  think 

[265] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

all  Rome,  poor  and  rich,  great  and  small,  came  to 
honor  the  Saint's  memory. 

St.  Filippo  Neri  was  born  in  Florence  in  1 5 1 5, 
and  was  adopted  by  a  wealthy  uncle  as  his  heir,  but 
being  devoutly  inclined,  he  secretly  went  to  Rome 
to  study  theology  and  canon  law.  He  distributed 
his  property  to  the  poor  in  1538,  and  became  one  of 
the  most  popular  priests  of  Rome,  beloved  by  rich 
and  poor  alike.  He  seems  to  me  a  most  interesting 
personality,  and  far  more  attractive  than  his  associate 
Ignatius  Loyola,  who  founded  the  famous  Jesuit 
Order  in  1541.  St.  Filippo  founded  the  Order  of 
Priests  of  the  Oratory  a  little  later  (in  1575),  with 
the  approval  of  Gregory  XIII,  the  magnificent 
Buoncampagni  Pope.  He  died  May  26th,  1595, 
and  on  this  day  of  every  year,  a  festival  is  held  in  the 
Chiesa  Nuova,  erected  by  him  for  the  order  that  he 
founded,  and  every  Sunday  after  the  Ave  Maria,  from 
November  first  to  Palm  Sunday,  concerts  of  sacred 
music,  to  which  only  men  are  admitted,  are  given  in 
the  Oratorium,  in  memory  of  the  Saint's  great  fond- 
ness of  music,  and  his  belief  in  that  cheerful  form  of 
divine  service.  Beneath  the  altar  of  the  small  and 
sumptuous  chapel  of  St.  Filippo  Neri  repose  the 
Saint's  remains,  and  above  is  the  portrait  of  the  saint 

[266] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

in  mosaic,  after  the  original  painting  by  Guido  Reni, 
which  is  preserved  in  the  adjoining  monastery. 

In  commemoration  of  the  St.  Filippo  miracle,  the 
room  in  which  Paolo  was  brought  to  life  was  con- 
verted into  a  most  beautiful  chapel,  and  a  mass  is 
said  there  each  morning  of  the  year;  but  on  the  i6th 
of  March,  as  the  anniversary  of  the  miracle,  a  regu- 
lar festival  takes  place.  The  chapel  is  thrown  open 
to  the  public,  as  well  as  the  stairways  of  the  palace 
leading  to  it,  from  five  in  the  morning  until  six  or 
seven  in  the  evening,  and  during  that  time  contin- 
ual masses  are  said  before  the  high  altar,  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  sacred  music.  The  chapel  is  endowed 
with  the  full  privileges  of  a  public  church,  and  has  re- 
ceived the  special  blessing  and  indulgences  of  many 
Popes.  At  the  side  of  the  entrance,  marble  tablets 
commemorate  the  personal  visits  of  three  Pontiffs; 
Benedict  XIII,  Gregory  XVI,  and  Pius  IX,  who 
came  twice  to  the  chapel  and  presented  it  with 
very  beautiful  and  costly  altar  candles,  while  Leo 
XIII  gave  the  statue  of  St.  Filippo  in  the 
chapel  the  same  blessing  as  the  statue  of  St.  Peter  in 
St.  Peter's.  The  chapel  is  richly  ornamented  with 
marble  columns,  and  along  the  side  of  the  walls  are 
arranged  wrought  iron  standards,  for   innumerable 

[267] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

old  brass  reliqueurs,  which  contain  innumerable  relics 
of  various  saints.  These  wrought  iron  supports,  made 
in  the  Gothic  style  of  the  fifteenth  century,  under 
the  direction  of  Professor  Ludovico  Seitz,  as  well  as 
the  beautiful  mosaic  pavement  of  the  chapel,  were 
placed  here  by  the  present  Prince  in  1883,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  three-hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
miracle.  At  that  time.  Prince  Carlo  had  a  medal 
struck  in  commemoration  of  the  anniversary.  It  was 
executed  by  Professor  Francesco  Bianchi,  and  repre- 
sented on  one  side  the  saint  bringing  back  the  young 
Prince,  and  on  the  other  an  inscription  regarding  the 
anniversary.  The  Prince  was  kind  enough  to  pre- 
sent me  with  a  reproduction  of  this  medal,  and  seeing 
that  I  was  especially  interested  in  the  chapel  and  the 
palace,  he  invited  me  to  come  to  the  palace  with  F. 
B.  a  few  days  after  the  festival,  in  order  that  I  might 
see  all  the  relics  more  carefully,  and  obtain  a  more 
complete  knowledge  of  thestrange  story  of  St.  Filippo 
and  the  palace.  I  was  very  glad  of  this  invitation,  for 
on  the  day  of  the  Saint's  festival,  there  were  so  many 
people  going  up  and  down  the  stairs  of  the  great 
palace,  and  such  a  large  crowd  in  the  little  chapel  itself 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  see  anything  thor- 
oughly. The  day  of  the  festival  the  Prince's  daugh- 
ter received  the  special  friends  of  the  family  in   her 

[268] 


were 
he  pr. 


PRINCE    MASSIMO 


C0(>VR1GHT,  1906,  BY  TRYPMOSA  BATES  BATCHELLtH 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

large  and  beautiful  apartments  on  the  second  floor  of 
the  palace,  and  only  those  were  allowed  to  enter  these 
rooms  from  the  stairway  who  had  cards  of  invita- 
tion. It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we  reached 
the  apartments  of  the  Countess  at  all,  and  it  was  only 
through  the  help  of  one  of  the  public  gens  d'artnes 
in  attendance,  that  we  ever  made  our  way  up  the 
stone  stairway  thronging  with  pushing,  eager  people. 
On  presenting  of  our  card  of  invitation,  however,  we 
were  at  once  shown  into  the  large  ante-room,  lead- 
ing to  the  Countess's  apartments.  We  tried  to  reward 
our  rescuer,  but  modern  Italy  is  not  to  be  paid  for 
services,  and  with  a  profound  bow  the  officer  made 
his  way  back  down  the  stairs.  At  the  door  we  gave 
our  cards  of  invitation  to  one  of  the  flunkies,  and  I 
noticed  the  unusual  elegance  of  the  Massimo  liveries ; 
dark  crimson  coats  bordered  with  braid,  in  which 
the  family  arms  are  woven,  pale  blue  waist-coats, 
crimson  plush  knee  breeches,  and  white  silk  stockings, 
with  powdered  hair. 

The  pretty  Countess  received  us  cordially,  and  her 
father,  the  Prince,  presented  us  with  a  copy  of  the 
story  of  St.  Filippo  and  showed  us  all  about  the  apart- 
ments which  contain  some  very  interesting  and  beau- 
tiful things.  The  portrait  of  the  Prince's  mother, 
Maria  Gabriella,  born  Princess  of  Savoia-Carignano, 

[269] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

was  particularly  lovely,  and  the  other  morning,  when 
we  came  to  see  the  chapel  again,  the  Prince  showed 
us  a  beautiful  altar  piece,  painted  by  his  mother  on 
white  velvet,  and  we  went  afterward  to  see  her 
monument  in  the  church  of  San  Damaso. 

Although  the  Prince  is  called  in  Rome  the  Black 
Prince,  because  of  his  extremely  black  politics  and 
devotion  to  the  Papal  cause,  he  is  nevertheless  a 
cousin  of  the  King,  since  his  mother  belonged  to 
the  Royal  House  of  Savoy,  and  his  wife  is  of  equally 
distinguished  lineage,  being  a  daughter  of  the 
Duchess  of  Berry,  by  her  second  husband.  Prince 
Lucchesi  Palli.  She,  too,  had  given  a  most  beautiful 
example  of  her  handiwork  to  the  chapel  in  the  shape 
of  an  altar  carpet,  made  of  white  crochet  work  in 
wool  and  embroidered  in  flowers.  Seven  beautiful 
gold  chalices  inlaid  with  rubies,  amethysts  and 
enamel  in  the  style  of  the  fifteenth  century,  as  well 
as  crystal  candle  sticks  and  wonderful  pieces  of  lace, 
originally  belonging  to  Louis  XVI,  and  some  bronze 
altar  candle  holders  from  England,  are  among  the 
treasures  of  this  chapel.  The  father  of  the  present 
Prince,  I  am  told,  was  especially  fond  of  English 
people.  Both  the  Countess  and  the  Prince  were  very 
kind  and  patient  in  explaining  all  these  things  to 
me,  and  in  a  room  which  opens  out  of  the  ante- 

[270] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

chamber,  they  showed  me  the  most  wonderful  col- 
lection of  old  ivory  that  I  have  ever  seen ;  perhaps 
the  most  extraordinary  piece  was  a  sceptre  belong- 
ing to  Augustus  III,  King  of  Poland,  who  was 
the  great-great-great-grandfather  of  the  present 
Prince. 

The  Massimo  family  is  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
of  Italy,  and  claims  to  be  descended  from  Fabius 
Maximus ;  on  one  of  the  family  tombstones,  that  of 
Leone  Massimo,  who  died  the  23d  of  April,  1012, 
and  was  buried  on  the  Aventine  Mound,  this  descent 
is  traced.  But  dating  even  from  that  time,  his  family 
numbers  twenty-seven  uninterrupted  generations,  and 
their  palace,  called  the  Palazzo  Massimo  alle 
Colonne,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  mediaeval 
structures  in  Rome.  It  was  the  chef  d' ceuvre  of 
Baldassarre  Peruzzi,  who  died  in  1536,  before  its 
completion.  The  arch-shaped  front  of  the  palace  was 
dexterously  made  to  fill  the  curve  of  the  original  nar- 
row street,  called  the  Via  Massimo,  but  all  is  changed, 
and  the  stern-looking  palace  now  looks  down  upon  the 
new  street  of  the  Corso  Vittorio  Emmanuele,  which 
has  ruthlessly  done  away  with  many  small  streets  and 
traverses  Rome  from  end  to  end  with  electric  car 
tracks  down  the  centre.  But  the  palace  is  still  very 
striking  in  effect,  and  on  the  day  of  the  festival  the 

[271] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

pillars  of  the  front  of  the  house  are  hung  with  silken 
draperies  on  which  are  painted  scenes  from  the  life 
of  St.  Filippo,  while  on  all  the  windows  of  the  first 
floor  are  placed  the  old  mediasval  iron  torch  holders ; 
and  you  feel,  as  you  enter  the  palace  and  go  about 
the  rooms  where  so  many  old  and  curious  things  are 
to  be  seen,  that  you  have  stepped  from  the  twentieth 
century  back  into  the  fifteenth,  though  the  clang  of 
the  electric  cars  bridges  over  the  seeming  discrepancy 
in  time.  The  room  in  which  the  Countess  received 
is  hung  with  red  brocade,  consequently,  everybody 
chatted  with  everybody  else  in  a  most  animated  way. 
Have  you  ever  noticed  that  red  makes  people  talk  ? 
It  seems  to  act  on  people's  tongues  as  on  a  bull's 
temper,  and  I  have  noticed  many  times,  where  there 
is  more  than  one  receiving  room  at  a  reception,  no 
one  will  stay  anywhere  but  in  the  red  room,  if  there 
is  one.  The  ceiling  of  this  particular  room  is  very 
elaborate  with  the  combined  arms  of  Massimo  and 
Savoy  carved  in  the  centre,  while  on  the  walls  there 
are  many  fine  pictures  by  Giulio  Romano,  and  his 
school.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  resplendent  medias- 
valism  was  a  modern,  up-to-date  tea-table,  on  which 
all  sorts  of  "  goodies  '*  were  arranged  in  pretty  mod- 
ern silver  dishes,  and  a  cup  of  tea  was,  I  assure  you, 

[272] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

most  welcome  after  the  struggle  up  and  down  the 
stairs  to  and  from  the  chapel. 

The  son  of  the  House,  Prince  of  Arsoli,  married 
the  daughter  of  Princess  Brancaccio,  who,  you  re- 
member, was  Miss  Field,  of  Chicago.  In  the  days 
of  the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope,  the  Princes  of 
the  House  of  Massimo  were  always  among  those 
nearest  to  His  Holiness,  and  the  picture  that  I  am 
sending  you  shows  the  present  Prince  in  his  robes  as 
a  Noble  Patrician  Roman  Prince.  I  hope  some  day 
you  may  be  with  me  here  in  Rome  on  the  occasion  of 
this  festival  of  San  Filippo  Neri,  because  I  am  sure, 
you  would  be  very  much  interested  in  the  many 
unusual  and  wonderful  things  one  can  see  only  on 
that  day. 


[273] 


XXXIV 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

THE  LAST  HUNT  OF  THE  SEASON 

Rome,  Italy,  March,  23,  1905 

My  dear  M.: 

WE  have  just  come  in  from  the  last  hunt 
of  the  season,  and  a  very  pretty  and  bril- 
liant sight  it  was,  too.  All  winter  long 
there  has  been  a  meet,  once,  and  generally  twice  a 
week.  The  Italians  are  quite  English  in  their  fond- 
ness for  following  the  hounds,  and  the  broad  Cam- 
pagna  makes  an  ideal  hunting-ground.  The  meets 
are  visually  held  some  two  or  three  miles  out  of 
Rome,  and  the  riders  and  their  friends  drive  out  in 
carriages,  their  fine  English  hunters  being  taken  by 
their  grooms.  It  is  one  of  the  sights  of  Rome,  to 
see  these  meets  and  hundreds  of  people  go  out  each 
time  to  look  on.  This  morning  the  road  lay  past 
the  Colosseum  and  three  or  four  miles  out  on  the 
Appian  way.  Innumerable  carriages,  from  landaus 
to  governess  carts,  hurried  along  the  road,  making 
a  fearfril    dust.      Carriage  after  carriage  filled  with 

[274] 


^fet 


wjl'- 


) 


n 


R, 


.  -HJN 

My  dear  M.: 

w 

THE  MEET 

:>    1905 

ges,  th' 

arable 

11  iandaij- 
he  road,  r 

carriage  fiUcd 


COPYRiaHT,    1906,    BY  TftYPHOSA  BATES    BATCHELLCR 


COPYWOMT,    i»0«,   BY  TRYPM05A  BATES   BATCMELLEH 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

gayly  uniformed  officers  hurried  by  us,  their  order- 
lies following  mounted,  and  leading  their  officers* 
hunters.  Such  a  melee  of  carriages,  people,  horses 
and  grooms,  I  have  never  seen,  as  were  collected 
around  the  entrance  way  to  the  immense  field  from 
which  the  start  was  to  be  made.  The  riders  were 
hurrying  about  giving  last  instructions  to  their 
grooms,  hunting  for  friends,  and,  once  mounted,  they 
followed  the  master-of-the-hounds,  forming  part  of 
the  little  procession  that  moved  slowly  up  and  down 
the  field,  for  the  benefit  of  the  photographers  who 
came  out  from  Rome.  A  good  deal  more  than  an 
hgur  was  consumed  in  getting  ready,  but  when  the 
field  was  really  all  mounted,  a  more  lovely  picture 
you  can  scarcely  imagine.  All  the  gentlemen  were 
in  their  pink  coats,  which  are  always  so  picturesque, 
and  the  bright  uniforms  of  the  Italian  officers  added 
much  to  the  usual  gayety  of  the  ordinary  hunting 
scene.  A  great  many  ladies  here  ride,  and  this 
morning  several  of  the  American  women  had  excep- 
tionally fine  mounts. 

You  remember  about  my  speaking  of  the  Mar- 
chesa  Casati  with  her  lovely  gowns  and  jewels,  but  I 
forgot  to  say  then,  that  she  is  one  of  the  finest  horse- 
women in  Italy.  I  am  sending  you  a  little  picture 
that  shows  her  in  her  long  leopard-skin  coat,  just  as 

[^75] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

she  rode  out  in  Her  carriage  to  the  meet  before 
mounting.  Many  of  the  women  use  their  large  fur 
automobile  coats  for  this  purpose,  as  it  is  apt  to  be 
very  cold  driving  out,  and  later  they  are  doubly  wel- 
come when  the  hunt  is  over,  for  the  drive  back  into 
Rome.  Many  of  the  jumps  are  extremely  difficult 
and  one  must  be  a  very  good  rider  to  attempt  to  fol- 
low at  all. 

The  on-lookers  ran  down  to  see  the  horses  take 
the  first  wall,  and  most  of  them  did  it  splendidly.  It 
was  very  warm  this  morning,  and  I  believe  there  are 
to  be  no  more  meets  this  season,  though  this  was  the 
most  brilliant  of  the  year.  Near  the  place  of  start- 
ing, there  is  often  a  tent  put  up,  where  sandwiches  and 
wine  may  be  had,  either  by  those  riding  or  by  those 
who  come  to  look  on.  As  it  was  3  o'clock  when 
we  started  towards  home,  we  were  glad  to  avail  our- 
selves of  this  impromptu  buffet. 

Just  before  we  left  for  home,  I  had  a  little  chat 
with  Mrs.  Mocatta,  who  was  looking  particularly 
chic  this  morning  in  a  light  gray  tailor-made,  and 
she  had  a  large  veil,  so  arranged  about  her  hat  and 
hair  that  both  were  perfectly  protected  from  the 
dust,  while  she  managed  to  make  it  very  becoming 
as  well.      I  tried  to  see  how  it  was  done,  but  I  don't 

[276] 


*.i:>A4MA: 


de  out  in   Her   can 


^.vp  '  *  »Fr. 


icii  use 

;  their                 ; 

e  coats  for 

th 

as  it  is  apt  to  be 

ry  cold  dri 

r  they 

arc  doubly  wcl* 

come  when  the 

over,  for  the 

drive  back  into 

Rome. 

;>s  are 

rlicult 

a  lid  one  i 

empt  to  fol- 

low  a? 

» u 

n  tc 

horses  take 

VC 

ar. 

Teare 
IS  the 

.>t  start- 

THE  HUNT  ACROSS  THE  CAMPAGNA 


wm 


:k  when 


chat 


lar^e  veil,  so  at 


d  to  ni2ke  it 
I.      I  tried  to  see  how  it  v 


c,  and 

tiat  and 

n  the 

becoming 

,  but 


COPYRIGHT,   1906,    BY  TRYPHOM   BATES    BATCHEI.LCR 


I90«,  BY  TRVmOSA  BATES  BATCHELLER 


or  THE 


OF 


;^(-»roRN»A- 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

think  I  succeeded,  though  I  heartily  wished  I 
had  my  head  as  well  protected  on  the  drive 
home. 

Baron  Morpurgo  came  up  for  a  hasty  good  morn- 
ing, as  he  was  looking  for  his  hunter.  He  is  one  of 
the  best  horsemen  and  finest  riders  in  the  country,  I 
am  told.  He  looked  extremely  well  this  morning; 
I  think  the  pink  coat  is  becoming  to  all  men.  Pre- 
sumably, if  I  come  back  next  year,  I  shall  try  and 
get  a  good  hunter  for  the  season,  though,  if  you 
were  here,  you  would  carry  off  all  the  honors  of  the 
family.  I  did  so  wish  you  were  with  me  yesterday, 
for  you  would  have  enjoyed  seeing  the  bright  red 
coats  and  uniforms  galloping  over  the  Campagna. 
The  impressions  of  such  a  modern,  up-to-date  scene 
in  contrast  with  the  old  ruined  aqueducts  and  tow- 
ers seemed  incongruous ;  yet,  it  was  all  very  pictur- 
esque, and  as  a  back-ground  we  always  have  here 
the  beautiful  snow-capped  mountains  in  the  distance, 
which  add,  of  course,  so  much  to  the  grandeur  of 
the  landscape. 

Just  as  we  drove  out  of  the  field  to  return  to 
Rome,  our  driver  turned  sharply  to  one  side  to  let 
the  Marchese  Guglielmi's  stunning  four-in-hand  go 
by.     The  Marquis  was  driving  himself,  and  had  some 

[277] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

very  pretty  girls  on  the  coach  with  him.  We 
thought  the  dust  going  out  pretty  bad,  but  we  felt  as 
if  we  should  be  simply  buried  up  by  it  coming  home. 
Automobile  after  automobile  dashed  by  us,  "wrap- 
ping us  in  dust,"  as  our  Japanese  friends  would  say. 
Numerous  people  bowed  as  they  passed,  and  I  nodded 
blindly  in  return,  for  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish 
anybody  clearly,  as  there  seemed  to  be  a  regular  sand- 
bank between  us. 

On  Tuesday  we  are  going  to  call  on  the  Countess 
Gianotti,  who  lives  in  the  famous  old  Colonna 
Palace.  She  is  a  charming  woman  and  I  shall  write 
you  about  her  later.  We  are  in  a  great  hurry,  so 
you  must  not  mind  a  short  letter  this  time. 


Later, 

We  had  a  pleasant  afternoon  at  Mme.  Ohyama's 
reception.  Just  as  we  arrived  Baronne  Colucci  was 
driving  away.  We  went  to  see  her  the  other  day  in 
her  pretty  villa  just  outside  the  Porta  Pia,  where  I 
told  you  so  many  new  villas  are  being  built.  Every- 
thing at  the  Japanese  Embassy  is  very  elegant,  and 
Mme.  Ohyama  has  the  same  charming  politeness  for 

[278] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

which  all  the  Japanese  are  famous.  His  Excellency 
talked  with  F.  B.  a  good  deal  about  the  war  in  a 
very  modest  way,  considering  the  wonderful  success 
Japan  has  had  on  every  side.  Mme.  Ohyama,  except  for 
her  beautiful  Japanese  hair,  might  have  stepped  from 
a  French  fashion  plate,  and  she  is  one  of  the  many 
.  Japanese  women  I  have  seen  who  are  thoroughly 
successful  with  European  clothes. 

We  returned  early  to  the  hotel,  and  F.  B.  found  a 
package  of  his  adored  New  York  Tribunes  (there 
is  no  getting  him  away  from  them  when  they  arrive, 
as  they  do  in  installments  three  or  four  times  a  week), 
so  we  hardly  got  to  Mrs.  George  Lee*s  dinner  at  the 
Grand  Hotel  in  time.  She  had  some  friends  from 
New  York  dining  with  her,  and  her  daughter,  who 
is  soon  to  make  her  debut,  is  going  about  quite  a 
little  in  Rome.  Mrs.  L.  is  an  Italian,  you  know,  but 
has  not  been  in  Italy  for  twenty  years,  and  speaks 
Italian  with  a  slight  American  accent ;  she  is  a  very 
pretty  woman,  and  looks  quite  as  young  as  her 
daughter.  It  has  seemed  very  nice  to  see  some  one 
from  Boston. 

I  spent  a  pleasant  afternoon  recently  with  Donna 
Bice  and  Countess  Taverna  at  the  former's  palace, 
which  is  quite  new,  and  very  elegant.    The  Countess 

[279] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

had  thoughtfully  arranged  to  have  the  directress  of 
her  lace-school  come  from  Milan  to  make  sure  that 
any  orders  I  might  wish  to  give  should  be  executed 
exactly  to  my  wishes.  Nothing  could  be  more  lovely 
than  the  courtesy  of  these  Italian  ladies,  and  we  had 
a  nice,  cosy  time  together  discussing  the  laces  over 
tea. 


[280] 


S  OF 


U 
< 

< 
< 

o 

o 
u 

u, 
O 

a 
_) 
_] 
< 
O 

X 


[280] 


laces  over 


XXXV 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  March  29,  1905 

My  dear  M, : 

IN  my  last  letter,  I  wrote  you  that  I  was  going  to 
call  on  the  Countess  Gianotti,  so  on  Tuesday, 
when  she  receives,  we  drove  to  the  great  Colonna 
palace  in  the  Piazza  S.  Apostoli.  The  Countess 
received  us  very  pleasantly  and,  among  others,  pre- 
sented us  to  her  niece,  the  pretty  Miss  Patterson, 
whom  I  have  spoken  of  before  in  my  letters.  As 
we  are  both  young  and  both  Americans,  everyone 
has  taken  it  for  granted  that  we  knew  each  other, 
but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  we  had  never  met  till  yester- 
day. I  was  glad  to  have  a  little  talk  with  her,  for 
I  have  admired  her  all  winter.  I  wish  all  Ameri- 
can girls  had  as  perfect  and  charming  manners  as 
Miss  P. 

The  Countess*  sunny  apartments  are  large  and  ele- 
gant, and  I  was  much  interested  in  the  great  picture 
of  the  battle  of  Custoza,  about  which  I  have  often 
read.     It  represents  a  scene  of  the   famous    battle 

[.,81] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

where  Count  Gianotti  saved  the  life  of  his  Prince, 
who  became  afterwards  King  Umberto  I.  Count 
G.  is  the  central  figure,  and  is  represented  in  the  act 
of  rallying  the  retreating  Italian  soldiers  to  the  de- 
fence gf  their  Prince. 

Custoza  is  a  little  village  in  the  Province  of  Verona, 
near  the  town  of  Villafranca,  and  has  been  the  scene 
of  two  bloody,  unfortunate  battles  for  the  Italians  in 
their  struggle  against  Austria.  On  July  25th,  1848, 
the  Italians  were  defeated;  on  the  same  ill-fated 
battle-ground,  in  1866,  they  were  again  worsted  by 
their  old  enemy,  though  not  completely  defeated,  and 
it  was  on  this  occasion  that  Victor  Emmanuel  took  for 
the  first  time  his  two  sons,  Umberto  and  Amedeo, 
with  him  to  battle.  There  was  fierce  fighting  on  both 
sides,  and  once  during  the  battle  Prince  Umberto 
found  himself  almost  entirely  surrounded  by  Austrians. 
He  was  in  danger  of  being  killed  or  taken  prisoner 
when  Count  Gianotti,  riding  suddenly  up  and  dis- 
covering the  danger  of  his  Prince,  called  loudly  to 
the  broken  ranks  of  the  Italian  soldiers  to  rally,  and 
save  their  Prince  and  the  honor  of  his  house.  The 
soldiers  at  once  responded  to  the  call  of  their  valiant 
officer,  rushed  forward,  drove  back  the  Austrians, 
and  Prince  Umberto's  life  was  saved.  That  the 
Count's  heroism  and  valor  was  duly  appreciated  is 

[282] 


unt  Gianotti 

he  ceDtraJ 
-!  railyin;  soidici. 

Cu  .:col  Verona, 

ne  the  scene 

of  !  tahans  in 

the  ;i  agaiji  ^h,  1848, 

the   ii  ill-fated 

•ed  by 
d,  and 

HIS  tXCELLENCV  COUNT  GIANOTTI 


£0 

H< 

when  Count 

covering  the 

unks  oi  to  rail; 

incc  an 

responded 
•ard,    (■ 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,   BY  TRYPHOS*  BATES   BATCHELLER 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

attested  by  a  touching  inscription  of  gratitude  writ- 
ten by  King  Umber  to  himself,  in  the  margin  of  the 
famous  picture. 

"  Al  Capitano  Conte  Caesare  Glanotti 
Ricordo  di  Villafranca  il  24   Giugno,  1866, 
II  suo  affezionatissimo  compagno  d'armi 
Umberto  di  Savoia." 

"  To  Captain  Count  Caesar  Gianotti 
In  memory  of  Villafranca  the  24th  of  June,  1866, 
His  very  affectionate  comrade  in  arms 
Umberto  di  Savoia." 

On  a  table  just  below  is  a  small  bronze  bust  of  the 
late  King,  which  Queen  Margherita,  the  Countess 
told  me,  brought  with  her  own  hands  as  a  gift  to 
her,  after  King  Umberto's  death. 

When  Royal  visitors  come  to  Italy,  much  of  the 
responsibility  of  their  entertainment  falls  upon 
Count  Gianotti,  who  is  Prefect  of  the  Palace  of  the 
King  and  Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies.  They  must 
have  found  the  Count  as  clever  an  entertainer  as  he 
is  a  valiant  soldier,  for  in  a  fine  old  Louis  XVI  cabi- 
net in  the  corner  of  the  drawing  room,  the  Countess 
pointed  out  to  me  several  exquisite  boxes,  ornamented 
with  miniatures  of  the  German  Emperor,  and  ele- 
gantly set  with  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones. 
Italy  has  long  enjoyed  friendly  relations  with  Prussia ; 

[283] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

the  German  Emperor  is  very  fond  of  Rome,  and  has 
presented  these  various  boxes  to  Count  Gianotti  on 
the  occasions  when  he  has  visited  here.  On  another 
table  is  a  set  of  the  finest  Sevres  figures  I  remember  to 
have  seen.  This  set  was  given  to  Count  Gianotti  by 
President  Loubet  of  France,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
recent  visit  to  the  King  of  Italy;  it  is  a  very  singular 
coincidence  that  Louis  XIV  of  France  gave  an  exact 
duplicate  of  this  set  to  Cardinal  Colonna  many  hun- 
dred years  ago,  which  is  still  in  the  same  Colonna 
palace,  although  in  another  apartment. 

Quite  the  most  lovely  picture  the  Countess  has  on 
her  walls,  to  my  way  of  thinking,  is  the  portrait  of 
her  two  daughters  by  Gulli.  The  elder  is  now  mar- 
ried to  Count  Balbis,  but  Marcella,  the  younger,  who 
is  extremely  pretty,  helped  her  mother  to  receive 
yesterday.  The  Countess  had  planned  for  a  little 
musicale  for  me,  but  invitations  for  a  dinner  to  be 
given  by  Their  Majesties  the  King  and  Queen,  in 
honor  of  the  "  Collars  of  the  Annunziata,"  to  which 
the  Count  and  Countess  were  bidden,  necessitated  a 
postponement.  But  the  Countess  seemed  so  much 
disappointed  at  not  having  heard  me  sing  at  all,  that 
I  said  I  would  sing  a  few  ballads  for  her  then  and 
there.  As  you  know,  the  Countess  is  an  American 
woman  (n6e  Franklin  Kinney)  and  she  was  quite  de- 

[284] 


COryKIOHt,   1»9«,    (VTmrfHOM  SATM   BATCMtiLt^ 


'^niperor  i 
ccii  tiicsc  van- 
casions  wh 

p.  setoff' 
\id\c  r-ecr"; 
Presidt 

coinci 
du 
dr- 
pa 


1  reincir: 

-  f  Oianota  ■ 

ision  of  h  i 

very  singular 

%ive  an  exact 

I  many  hun- 

iOe  Colonna 


aaothci 


HER  EXCELLENCY  THE  COUNTESS  GIANOTTI 

cmciy   pretty,  heij^' 
Countess 
It  invitati* 


a  icvv   bail** 
vv,  the 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,    BY  TRYPH08A  BATES   BATCHElLE;? 


OPTMc 

UNIVERSITY 


OF 
"t-'FORNAbrt 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

lighted  to  hear  "  Ben  Bolt/'  "  Coming  Through  the 
Rye,"  and  a  few  others  of  the  old-time  songs.  After 
we  had  gone  back  and  were  having  tea,  and  she  had 
showed  me  a  picture  of  her  little  grandchild,  she 
asked  if  I  would  mind  repeating  one  or  more  of  the 
ballads  before  I  went  away;  "It  is  so  long  since  I 
have  heard  them,"  she  said,  "  and  I  think  Americans 
always  love  them." 

The  Countess  has  beautiful  jewels  and  looks  most 
distinguished  and  elegant  on  all  occasions.  She  is 
very  charming  to  her  own  countrywomen  who  come 
to  Italy,  and  has  a  wonderful  way  of  receiving  a 
number  of  people  who  all  speak  different  languages. 
She  makes  flying  translations  in  three  or  four  tongues 
from  one  person  to  another,  with  so  much  ease  and 
grace  and  with  so  little  apparent  effort,  that  every- 
body feels  that  they  are  taking  part  in  the  conver- 
sation and  having  a  most  delightful  time.  Although 
she  has  lived  so  long  in  Italy,  and  has  been  in  Court 
life  so  much,  she  is  very  kind  and  thoughtful  about 
explaining  little  points  of  etiquette  or  custom  to  her 
American  friends.  Indeed,  she  does  us  credit  in 
every  way  and  America  should  be  properly  proud  of 
her. 

The  Colonna  palace  in  which  she  lives,  like  so 
many  of  these  great   Roman  palaces,  was   built   by 

[28s] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

pulling  down  ancient  monuments.  The  Colonna 
Pope,  Martin  V,  made  possible  all  this  magnifi- 
cence, and  the  gallery  is  one  of  the  finest  rooms  in 
Rome.  It  is  two  hundred  feet  long,  and  is  deco- 
rated most  elaborately  by  mirrors,  chandeliers,  statues, 
many  famous  paintings,  and  an  immense  amount  of 
the  gilded  carved  work  of  which  the  Italians  are  so 
fond.  Like  many  of  these  Roman  palaces,  it  looks 
nothing  but  a  great  pile  of  stones  on  the  outside,  and 
numbers  of  shops  occupy  the  lower  part  of  the  front 
of  the  palace,  which  opens  out  on  the  square  of  the 
Apostoli. 

The  greater  part  of  the  sculptures  in  this  gallery 
were  found  in  the  ancient  excavations  of  Boville, 
which  was  on  the  Colonna  estate,  near  Marino. 
There  are  a  great  many  lovely  pictures  here;  an 
authentic  and  beautiful  portrait  of  the  famous  Vit- 
toria  Colonna,  always  the  friend  and  patron  of  art, 
Rubens's  Assumption,  others  by  Tintoretto,  Ghirlan- 
daio  and  Spagnoletto,  numerous  Van  Dykes,  and  a 
wonderful  portrait  of  Maria  Mancini,  the  wife  of 
Lorenzo  Colonna,  by  Gaspare  Netscher.  Beside  this 
great  hall,  there  is  the  room  called  the  Throne-room, 
for  it  was  formerly  the  custom  in  all  princely  Roman 
houses  to  have  a  special  hall  destined  to  receive  the 
Pope,  in  the  event   of  His  Holiness  coming  to  visit 

[286] 


THE  COUNTESS  BALBIS  AND  DONNA 
MARCELLA  GIANOTTI 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,   BY  TRYPH08A   BATES  BATCHELLER 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

the  family.  The  arm-chair  that  was  to  serve  as  the 
temporary  throne  for  His  Holiness,  was  always  turned 
toward  the  wall  to  show  that  it  was  only  for  the 
Pope's  use. 

The  present  Prince  Don  Marcantonio  Colonna 
has  had  two  beautiful  carved  frames  made  for  two 
documents  that  belonged  to  the  great  Marcantonio 
Colonna  II.  One  set  is  especially  interesting,  as 
it  contains  the  nautical  chart  that  is  supposed  to  have 
been  used  by  him  in  the  great  battle  of  Lepanto,  in 
1 57 1.  You  remember  the  famous  painting  we  have 
seen  of  this  battle  in  Venice.  The  Colonna  have 
always  been  one  of  the  most  powerful  families  in 
Italy,  and  disputed  the  territory  and  complete  domain 
of  the  Roman  Campagna  for  centuries,  with  the  Or- 
sini  and  Caetani  families.  Throughout  the  Middle 
Ages  their  constant  warfare  deluged  the  surrounding 
country  with  blood ;  but  to-day  all  is  peace,  and  the 
Throne  room  has  become  a  show  room  only,  though 
down  to  the  present  day  the  Colonna  family  is  one 
of  the  most  popular  and  richest  of  Italy.  It  was  in 
the  court  yard  of  this  palace,  where  the  huge  horses 
with  their  gigantic  leaders,  that  form  a  part  of  the 
great  fountain  in  the  square  of  the  Quirinal,  were 
found  with  the  names  of  Praxiteles  and  Phidias  on 
their  pedestals. 

[287] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

On  leaving  the  Countess,  we  went  to  call  on  Miss 
Fielder,  an  attractive  Englishwoman,  whose  engage- 
ment to  Count  Campello,  the  admired  and  cultured 
President  of  our  Dante  Alighieri  Society  in  Boston, 
has  just  been  announced.  Miss  F.  has  lived  in  Rome 
a  great  many  years,  and  hearing  that  I  knew  Count 
Campello,  she  asked  me  to  come  and  see  her.  Her 
address  gave  a  number  in  the  Piazza  di  Spagna  that 
we  recognized  at  once  as  our  banker's.  We  did  n't 
quite  understand,  but  obeyed  directions  and  drove 
there,  feeling  that  we  must  have  made  some  mistake. 
On  entering  the  doorway,  the  concierge  said,  "  Si, 
Signora,  e  qui  la  Signorina  Fielder,  ma  ^  meglio  pren- 
dere  V ascensore''  ("Yes,  my  lady,  it  is  here  that  Miss 
Fielder  lives,  but  you  had  better  take  the  elevator"). 
With  that,  she  directed  us  around  the  corner  to  the 
great  elevator  that  takes  people  to  the  Trinity  from 
the  Piazza.  Bewildered,  we  went  as  we  were 
bidden,  meekly  repeating  Miss  Fielder's  name  to  the 
gruff  man  in  the  elevator.  "  Entrata,  Eccellenze,**  he 
said;  "^  qui'*  ("it  is  here").  When  we  were  appar- 
ently in  mid  air,  and  only  part  way  up  to  the  Trinity, 
the  elevator  stopped,  and  the  man  motioned  for  me 
to  get  out.  I  hesitated,  for  I  could  only  step  out  on 
the  roof  of  a   house.    *'Ma  si,  e  qui"    ("Yes,  it  is 

[288] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

here  "),  and  he  indicated  a  small  door  where  I  could 
ring. 

Feeling  like  a  somnambulist,  I  walked  out  on  the 
roof,  but  there,  sure  enough,  was  a  little  door  in  a 
sort  of  coop.  I  discovered  a  bell,  too,  and  rang. 
Presently,  I  heard  some  one  coming,  and  in 
another  moment  I  was  walking  down  a  flight  of 
marble  stairs,  following  a  stalwart  Sienese  serving- 
maid,  down,  down  into  the  apartment  of  Miss 
Fielder.  I  have  heard  of  entering  the  side  or  the 
cellar  of  a  house,  but  I  never  made  a  call  through 
the  roof  before.  However,  it  seemed  to  be  quite  the 
usual  thing  here,  and  after  several  windings  and  turn- 
ings, I  found  myself  in  a  lovely  apartment  at  the 
very  top  of  the  large  fine  building,  overlooking  the 
beautiful  piazza  with  all  its  flowers,  sunshine,  busy 
life  and  constant  interest. 

It  would  have  been  natural,  it  seemed  to  me,  for 
the  lady  of  the  house  to  enter  the  room  through  a 
trap  door  in  the  floor,  but  in  this  I  was  disappointed. 
Miss  Fielder  came  through  a  door  in  the  ordinary 
way,  and  I  soon  forgot  my  funny  entrance  through 
the  roof,  in  looking  over  the  series  of  marvelous  pho- 
tographs that  my  charming  hostess  had  taken  her- 
self,  among   them   an  excellent   kodak   of  H.    M. 

[289] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Queen     Margherita,    who    is    very    fond    of    Miss 
Fielder. 

I  am  selfish  enough  to  hope  that  when  their  honey- 
moon is  over,  Count  and  Countess  Campello  will 
come  to  Boston,  but  to  leave  Rome  after  living  there 
many  years  must  be  very  difficult,  I  should  imagine. 
We  are  going  out  this  evening  to  the  opera,  so  good 
wishes  and  good  night. 


[290] 


XXXVI 
E.  F.  D.  B. 

PALAZZO  FARNESE  AND  JOACHIM 

Rome,  Italy,  March  30,  1905 
My  dear  M.: 

JUST  at  present  we  are  in  the  midst  of  a  musical 
feast,  and  are  enjoying,  through  the  kindness  of 
the  Marchesa  de  Viti  de  Marco,  the  whole  six- 
teen quartettes  of  Beethoven,  which  are  being  given 
by  the  Joachim  Quartet  in  the  beautiful  and  historic 
hall  of  the  Carracci  in  the  Palazzo  Farnese,  which  is 
now  rented  from  the  heirs  of  the  King  of  Naples,  to 
whom  the  palace  belongs,  by  the  French  govern- 
ment for  its  embassy  in  Rome.  A  more  ideal  place 
for  chamber  music  you  cannot  imagine  than  this 
beautiful  hall,  long,  high  and  narrow,  as  all  halls  for 
music  should  be  (I  wish  the  piano  manufacturers 
would  learn  this  when  they  build  their  new  halls), 
and  decorated  with  fine  mythological  frescoes  by 
Annibale  and  Agostino  Carracci;  and  of  course  no 
one  can  hear  more  lovely  chamber  music  than  that 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

made  by  the  famous  Joachim  and  the  members  of 
his  world-renowned  quartet. 

When  I  first  came  to  Rome,  I  was  told  that  the 
Italians  were  not  at  all  musical,  but  I  have  since 
come  to  know  that  the  report  was  as  entirely  erro- 
neous as  it  seemed  to  me  incredible.  The  Romans 
distinctly  dislike  anything  but  good  music,  but  that 
certainly  does  not  go  to  show  that  they  are  not  mu- 
sical. Rome  is  only  as  large  as  Boston,  yet  it  sup- 
ports, and  supports  handsomely,  a  long  season  of  opera, 
with  performances  three  and  four  times  a  week. 
The  productions  are  as  a  rule  excellent,  the  artists 
most  satisfactory,  and  it  is  not  likely  the  impresario 
would  continue  to  produce  opera  here  each  season  if 
he  did  not  find  it  financially  profitable.  Besides  the 
first-class  opera  at  the  Costanzi,  opera  is  given  in 
two,  if  not  more,  of  the  smaller  theatres,  and  these 
also  make  money,  which  certainly  goes  to  show  that 
the  Romans  are  musical  and  that  Rome  does  not  lack 
for  good  music. 

There  is  a  flourishing  Bach  Society  here,  and  only 
yesterday  I  read  the  announcement  of  the  first  con- 
cert of  the  Cherubini  Society  to  be  given  in  Phil- 
harmonic Hall,  and  a  little  later  a  committee  of 
ladies  is  planning  to  give  the  Stabat  Mater,  by  Per- 
golese.     The  Orchestral  Society  of  Rome,  in  order 

[292] 


When  i  r 

fralians   vver'  .  it   I   h. 


03 


1^ 

o 

U 
< 

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a. 

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h 
nouncc 


cly  err* 
he  Romai 


^  buf  that 

C/3 


o  ot  opera, 

g  a  week. 

Cx) 


f'sario 


fic  Stabat  Mater,  by 


OP  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


OF 


i^FOBlil^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

to  put  within  the  means  of  everyone  the  best  orches- 
tral music,  has  arranged  a  series  of  concerts  at  very 
modest  prices  and  they  have  engaged  some  of  the  best 
artists  in  order  that  the  pubHc  at  large  may  hear  the 
various  celebrities  at  small  expense.  This  society 
also  has  undertaken  to  give  help  to  foreign  and 
Italian  composers,  whose  means  will  not  permit  them 
to  present  their  own  compositions  to  the  public,  and 
besides  all  these,  there  is  the  celebrated  Academy  of 
St.  Cecilia,  which  gives  each  season  in  its  ideal 
music  hall  a  series  of  excellent  concerts,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Count  San  Martino,  who  intends 
that  all  the  distinguished  artists  of  the  world  shall 
be  heard  one  time  or  another  at  these  concerts,  which 
the  Queen  Mother  almost  invariably  attends,  as  well 
as  all  fashionable  Rome.  You  will  see  from  these 
facts  how  absurd  it  is  to  say  that  the  Italians  are  not 
musical. 

Mme.  Barrere,  the  cultured  and  clever  wife  of  the 
French  Ambassador,  conceived  the  idea  of  inviting 
the  great  Joachim  to  come  to  Rome,  and  give  in  her 
palace  the  whole  series  of  Beethoven  quartettes,  in  a 
way  similar  to  that  which  he  had  previously  done  in 
Paris.  Accordingly,  she  offered  the  opportunity  to  ' 
her  friends  of  subscribing  to  her  proposed  concerts,  ■ 
wishing  beforehand  to  assure  Joachim  of  success  in 

[293] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

his  Italian  visit.  Almost  before  she  knew  it  every 
seat  in  the  hall  had  been  subscribed  for,  and  there  still 
remained  numbers  of  her  friends  who  were  most 
anxious  to  attend  the  concerts ;  but,  as  she  wisely  said, 
much  as  she  would  like  to  have  every  one  come  who 
wished,  the  hall  could  comfortably  seat  only  just  so 
many  people,  and  she  was  determined  that  it  should 
not  be  crowded.  First  among  the  subscribers  was 
Her  Majesty  Queen  Margherita,  always  a  patron- 
ess of  music,  and  a  special  admirer  of  Beethoven. 
Her  Majesty  Queen  Elena  also  immediately  signified 
her  intention  to  attend  these  concerts,  and  there  has 
been  the  wildest  sort  of  a  scramble  to  obtain  a  ticket 
for  some  at  least  of  these  delightful  afternoons.  All 
of  the  arrangements  were  made  before  we  arrived  in 
Rome,  so  I  felt  it  would  be  quite  hopeless  for  me  to 
attempt  to  go,  but  the  ever  kind  and  thoughtful 
Marchesa  de  V.,  in  some  way,  managed  to  procure 
not  only  a  ticket  for  myself,  but  also  one  for  F.  B., 
and  I  assure  you  we  are  very  grateful  to  her  for  this 
kindness. 

You  know,  I  am  particularly  fond  of  chamber 
music,  and  each  quartette  has  seemed  lovelier  than  the 
one  before,  though  I  think,  after  all,  the  one  in  A 
minor  leaves  the  deepest  impression.  On  the  first 
day,    we     received    our     subscribers*    programmes, 

[294] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

printed  on  the  finest  of  white  vellum,  and  also 
a  little  book  dedicated  to  Queen  Margherita, 
describing  each  quartette,  prepared  by  Signor  Ip- 
polito  Valetta,  as  a  lovely  souvenir  of  these  musical 
treats. 

Queen  Margherita  has  not  missed  one  of  the  concerts, 
though  they  have  taken  place  nearly  every  day.  Queen 
Elena  has  come  also  several  times,  arriving  usually 
very  early  and  leaving  before  the  concert  was  finished. 
Mme.  Barrere  always  receives  the  Queen  and  the 
Queen  Mother  personally,  and  after  each  concert  has 
a  dainty  tea  table  prepared  for  them.  Nothing  is 
left  undone  for  the  comfort  of  everyone  by  the  Am- 
bassadress, who,  by  the  by,  is  a  Turkish  woman  from 
Constantinople.  The  arrangement  of  the  seats  was 
excellent,  and  the  chairs  very  comfortable.  No 
carriages  were  allowed  to  thunder  in  and  out  of  the 
great  court  yard,  with  its  triple  colonnade,  during 
the  time  of  the  concert,  but  those  who  came  late 
were  obliged  to  leave  their  carriages  at  the  outside 
entrance. 

The  palace  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Rome,  and  was 
begun  by  the  extravagant  and  artistic  Cardinal  Ales- 
sandro  Farnese,  who  became  Pope  Paul  III  in 
1 534  ;  it  was  built  largely  from  materials  taken  from 
the  Colosseum  and  the  theatre  of  Marcellus.     What 

[295] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

an  eternal  series  of  pulling  down  to  build  up  Rome 
presents !  One  beautiful  thing  destroyed  to  build 
another,  and  that  in  turn  torn  down  to  add  more 
elegance  to  some  newer  building.  I  have  read  a 
great  deal  about  thisCarracci  Hall,  where  the  concerts 
are  given,  so  I  was  specially  pleased  to  be  able  to  see 
it  under  such  delightful  circumstances. 

The  Marchesa  de  V.,  at  the  end  of  Joachim's 
visit,  gave  the  great  man  a  very  lovely  dinner  and  re- 
ception. She  was  kind  enough  to  invite  me  to  the 
dinner,  and  in  a  very  charming  manner  asked  if  I 
would  consent  to  sing  two  of  my  Mozart  arias  for 
Joachim,  and  her  friends,  at  the  reception,  and,  of 
course,  I  was  very  glad  to  do  so.  The  dinner  was 
delicious,  though  I  could  not  eat  much,  as  I  had  to 
sing  afterward,  and  Mr.  Mendelssohn,  a  very  wealthy 
banker  from  Berlin,  who  is  a  great  friend  of  Herr 
Joachim,  knowing  that  I  should  not  talk  much, 
made  himself  altogether  delightful  and  interesting  by 
talking  to  me.  The  French  Ambassador  and  Mme. 
Barrdre,  and  Count  and  Countess  Cavazza  of  Bologna 
were  also  of  the  dinner  party,  and  the  Marchesa 
made  a  most  lovely  hostess,  in  a  velvet  gown  that  ex- 
actly matched  her  exquisite  set  of  large  emeralds. 
After  dinner  Prof.  Sgambati  and  his  quintet,  known 

[296] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

as  the  Court  Quintet,  as  it  is  under  the  special 
patronage  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  Mother,  played 
some  of  the  master's  own  compositions.  A  Beethoven 
trio  followed,  Joachim  taking  the  violin,  Mr.  Men- 
delssohn the  'cello,  and  the  latter's  beautiful  Floren- 
tine wife  the  piano  part.  Then  the  Marchesa  asked 
me  to  sing  the  second  aria  of  the  Queen  of  the 
Night  from  the  "Magic  Flute "  and  some  other 
Mozart  selection,  as  she  is  particularly  fond  of  that 
composer.  Mrs.  Mendelssohn  had  previously  con- 
sented to  play  my  accompaniments,  and  I  thought 
the  Marchesa  most  considerate  to  arrange  for  me  to 
sing  after  the  rest  of  the  music,  since  by  that  time 
the  dinner  was  a  thing  of  the  past.  Everyone  was 
very  enthusiastic  about  my  singing.  Herr  Joachim 
seemed  much  pleased  and  has  written  a  bit  of  music 
for  me  in  my  album.  The  Princess  Venosa,  one  of 
the  beauties  of  Rome,  was  especially  gracious  and 
said  many  pleasant  things  about  my  voice.  The 
Marchesa  presented  me  to  a  great  many  of  her 
guests,  and  I  passed  one  of  the  most  delightful  evenings 
that  I  have  spent  in  Rome.  Among  others,  I  met  a 
handsome  young  Viennese  woman,  a  relative  of  our 
friends  in  Vienna,  now  married  to  the  Marchese  A. 
Lucifero.     She   is  very  musical,  talented    in  many 

[297] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ways  and  has  a  sweet  voice.  Our  hostess  lives  in  the 
famous  old  Orsini  palace,  which  is  built  on  the  ruins 
of  the  theatre  of  Marcellus,  and  is  approached  from 
the  street  by  a  steep  winding  ascent.  One  feels  as  if 
one  were  entering  a  fortress,  but  the  welcome  inside 
is  as  cordial  as  the  outside  is  austere  and  forbidding. 


[298] 


XXXVII 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

INDUSTRIE    FEMMINILI 

Rome,  Italy,  March  31,  1905 
My  dear  M. : 

YOU  remember  I  spoke  of  going  to  the  sale 
of  laces  and  embroideries  at  the  Grand 
Hotel  on  Ash  Wednesday,  after  I  was  pre- 
sented to  Her  Majesty  Queen  Margherita.  I  prom- 
ised to  write  you  something  more  about  the  organi- 
zation of  ladies  who  are  interested  in  these  laces,  and 
as  I  have  just  been  taking  tea  this  afternoon  with  some 
of  the  patronesses  at  the  headquarters  of  the  cor- 
poration in  the  Via  Marco  Minghetti,  I  have 
learned  much  more  about  the  Society  and  its  aims. 
Now  I  think  I  can  write  you  clearly  about  the 
whole  matter. 

In  1 891,  a  few  Italian  ladies  of  the  nobility  came 
together  with  the  intention  to  try  to  make  known 
throughout  Italy  and  abroad  the  work  being  done 
by  Italian  women,  in  lace  and  embroidery,  such  as 
reticelle,  pizzi  and  tessuti,  by  sending  to  the  Chicago 

[299] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

and  Paris  expositions  the  best  samples  of  their  work. 
At  both  expositions  the  work  received  several  prizes, 
and  also  honorable  mention.  Encouraged  by  these 
results,  the  Italian  ladies  of  rank  and  distinction 
founded  in  1898  a  society  which  was,  in  the  words 
of  the  Countess  of  Taverna,  President  of  the  Roman 
Federation  of  Feminine  Work,  "  Eminently  pacific 
in  intent,  apart  from  all  politics,  representing  no 
party,  and  having  as  its  sole  aim  the  bringing 
together  of  the  various  benevolent  endeavors  to 
steadily  improve  and  advance  the  social,  economic, 
intellectual  and  moral  standards  of  the  Italian  wo- 
man." This  federation  in  1901  gave  an  exhibi- 
tion of  the  work  accomplished,  under  the  patronage 
of  Their  Majesties  Queen  Elena  and  Queen  Mar- 
gherita,  which  met  with  great  success.  Many  of 
the  people  who  came  to  this  exposition,  although 
Italians  of  culture  and  wealth,  had  not  realized  that 
the  Italian  peasant  women  could  produce  such  beau- 
tiful works  of  art.  Encouraged  by  the  success  and 
public  approval  of  this  first  Italian  exposition,  the 
noble  ladies  who  formed  the  association  arranged 
for  a  second  exhibition  of  the  products  of  the  various 
lace  and  embroidery  schools,  working  under  their  pro- 
tection and  guidance.  Having  learned  from  the  first 
exposition  various  details  to  be  avoided  and  others  to 

[300] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

be  improved,  and  feeling  much  surer  of  public  ap- 
proval, the  second  exposition  met,  as  was  to  be  ex- 
pected, with  greater  success  than  it  was  possible  for 
the  first  to  have  achieved.  The  general  skepticism 
that  every  new  venture  is  bound  to  meet  was  not  appar- 
ent, and  the  Co-operative  Society  of  Women's  Work 
seemed  to  be  an  established  fact.  But  presently  the 
ladies  realized  that  in  these  exhibitions  there  was 
really  nothing  permanent  that  they  or  the  public  could 
depend  upon,  and  after  proper  consideration,  the  Soci- 
ety decided,  in  May,  1903,  to  establish  at  Rome  head- 
quarters to  which  the  work  of  the  various  schools, 
now  successfully  established  throughout  Italy,  could 
be  sent,  and  thence  distributed  to  the  Italian  public 
and  abroad.  The  aims  of  the  Society  are  two:  to 
establish  permanently  in  Italy,  and  if  possible  in 
other  countries,  a  market  through  reliable  and  per- 
manent agencies  for  the  goods  made ;  and  through 
the  means  of  an  artistic  committee  of  cultured  and 
intelligent  patronesses,  who,  by  directing  the  work 
in  the  most  approved  way,  shall  lessen  the  price  of 
these  artistic  productions,  and  at  the  same  time 
improve  the  condition  of  the  poor  women  of  Italy. 
The  patrimonial  advice  is  carried  out  in  the  society 
of  active  members,  by  means  of  a  supervising  com- 
mittee, whose  work  is  still  further  carried  on  by  the 

[301] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Sindaci.  Twenty-four  ladies  form  a  committee  of 
patronesses,  who  watch  over  the  general  welfare  of 
the  society,  invite  new  members  to  belong  to  the 
institution,  who  may  aid  in  uplifting  the  artistic  and 
financial  standing  of  the  society,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
endeavor  to  obtain  from  the  government  all  that  can 
be  turned  to  advantage  for  the  education,  instruction 
and  material  improvement  of  the  workers.  Beside 
the  committee  of  patronesses  there  is  a  sub-com- 
mittee of  ladies  to  inspect  the  work,  and  these  ladies 
also  take  great  pains  to  inspect  the  industrial  schools 
elsewhere,  to  study'  themselves  the  many  beautiful 
designs  of  lace  and  embroidery  in  the  museums,  to 
which  their  rank  and  position  give  them  easy  access, 
and  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  changes  of  fashion,  in 
order  that  their  schools  may  produce  the  articles 
most  desired  at  the  most  opportune  time  in  various 
countries. 

The  councilof  administration  and  the  committee  of 
patronesses  form  a  joint  committee  to  decide  upon 
the  acceptability  of  the  work  sent  to  headquarters, 
the  proper  wages  for  the  workers,  and  suitable  prices 
for  the  articles  to  be  sold.  The  President  of  the 
Council  of  Administration  is  Countess  Cora  di  Brazza- 
Savorgnan ;  the  Vice  President  is  the  Countess  Lavinia 
Taverna.     The  Countess  Maria  Pasolini  was  the  first 

[302] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

President  of  the  committee  of  patronesses,  but  on 
account  of  her  health  has  resigned,  and  in  her  place 
has  been  elected  the  Countess  Antonia  Suardi-Ponti ; 
Donna  Bice  Tittoni  is  now  Vice  President,  while 
the  Secretary  is  the  well-known  Italian  authoress, 
Amelia  Rosselli. 

A  most  appropriate  and  attractive  building  has 
been  constructed  especially  for  the  society  in  the  Via 
Marco  Minghetti.  In  these  rooms  are  to  be  seen 
the  best  work  of  the  Italian  peasants  in  laces,  various 
kinds  of  embroidery,  dolls  quaintly  dressed  in  the 
costumes  of  the  various  districts  of  Italy,  and  tapestries 
from  the  old  and  interesting  country  in  the  Abruzzi 
mountains  of  Pescocostanzo. 

More  than  ever  at  the  present  day,  Italian  art 
needs  earnest  and  disinterested  aid,  for  in  this  tumul- 
tuous age  of  inventions,  where  machinery  is  accom- 
plishing so  much,  and  is,  perforce,  depriving  many 
hands  of  their  labor,  while  the  cry  is  cgntinually, 
"much  for  little,"  it  is  indeed  fortunate  that  the 
noble  women  of  Italy  have  revived  these  old  handi- 
crafts, and  simultaneously  given  to  the  poor  women 
of  the  mountain  towns  regular  and  pleasant  employ- 
ment, and  to  the  public  these  treasures  which  they 
are  only  too  glad  to  be  able  to  possess.  It  was, 
however,  a  tremendous  undertaking  to  seek  out  in 

[303] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  quiet  corners  of  the  little  mountain  villages 
throughout  Italy,  the  hidden  possibilities  for  such  a 
great  work,  and  these  ladies  who  have  dedicated  so 
much  of  their  time  and  activity  to  this  research  may 
indeed  be  pleased  and  proud  of  the  success  of 
their  efforts. 

The  Countess  Lavinia  Taverna  has  a  large  school 
of  lace  workers  near  Milan,  where  under  a  skilful 
directress,  a  number  of  girls  and  women  make  the 
most  beautiful  filet  lace  that  I  have  ever  seen. 
The  Countess  herself  has  given  much  time  and 
thought,  as  well  as  a  great  deal  of  money,  to  the 
study  and  perfection  of  her  designs.  Many  of  them 
are  quaint  and  fantastic,  and  are  reproduced  from 
designs  in  the  museums,  or  from  tapestries  of  the 
fifteenth  century.  I  have  treated  myself  to  a  tea- 
cloth  bordered  with  this  lace,  and  I  think  I  told  you 
that  I  have  decided  to  bring  home  a  number  of  things 
from  this  school  to  show  my  American  friends.  I 
feel  sure  that  everyone  who  sees  them  will  wish  at 
once  to  order  some  from  Italy,  as  they  are  not  only 
beautiful  in  themselves  but  have  the  added  attraction 
of  being  something  entirely  new  to  us.  The  shirt- 
waists are  simply  fascinating,  and  the  Countess,  who 
has  a  beautiful  villa  on  Lake  Como,  has  watched  over 
the  dyeing  of  some  of  the  lovely  Como  silks,  with 

[304I 


■4?' 


fit  .'«4fe 


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their 

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of  !t*^  -  ...c,  ne^r                IV  here  under  a  skiliul 

Z 

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t->  o 

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Lake  Como,  has  *.  c. 
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;itiroRt4^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  result  that  her  silk  table  covers  in  the  old  tapes- 
try shades,  made  in  various  ways  and  with  various 
kinds  of  her  beautiful  lace  are  simply  beyond 
description. 

Without  this  lace  work,  the  girls  and  women  of 
these  villages  would  be  obliged  to  work  in  the  hot 
factories  of  Milan,  or  some  other  large  city,  where 
they  would  not  be  as  well  off  physically,  mentally 
nor  morally,  whereas  now  they  can  earn  a  good  wage 
daily,  live  at  home  with  their  families,  and  are  not 
so  occupied  but  that  they  can  still  perform  many  of 
their  household  duties.  As  the  Countess  Taverna  is 
a  woman  of  taste,  as  well  as  great  ability,  the  success 
of  her  school  is  a  foregone  conclusion,  especially 
since  the  filet  lace  is  the  raging  fad  and  fancy  of  the 
moment.  Dealers  everywhere  are  struggling  to  get 
it,  and  so  far  as  I  have  seen  in  Paris,  London,  New 
York  or  Boston,  the  productions  of  the  Taverna 
School  far  excel  any  of  the  filet  made  elsewhere. 
Moreover,  as  this  filet  lace  becomes  known,  it  is 
bound  to  be  more  and  more  fashionable,  for  the 
reason  of  its  many  practical  uses.  Most  beautiful 
and  elegant  table  cloths  may  be  trimmed  with  it, 
attractive  sofa  pillows  and  small  cushions  made  of 
colored  silks  are  covered  with  lace,  thus  showing  to 
good  advantage  the  unusual  and  mediaeval  patterns; 

[305] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

centre-pieces,  small  doilies,  sachets,  and  an  infinite 
number  of  other  similar  things  are  very  lovely  made 
of  this  lace;  and  certainly  nothing  could  be  smarter 
than  a  white  linen  gown  used  in  combination  with 
some  of  these  patterns.  While  this  is  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  schools,  there  are  many  others 
throughout  Italy. 

The  Countess  Lina  Cavazza-Bianconcini  is  the 
directress  of  the  women's  section  of  Aemilia  Ars, 
and  has  revived  and  brought  to  notice  many  exquisite 
embroideries,  done  in  the  old,  almost  forgotten  stitches, 
among  which  the  principal  one,  punto  a  reticella  is 
particularly  attractive,  and  all  are  from  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  century  designs. 

The  Countess  Cavazza  herself  taught  her  maid,  who 
had  come  from  a  Convent  School,  many  of  these  old 
stitches ;  the  girl  in  turn  taught  her  school-mates,  and 
there  are  now  in  this  lace  school  thus  begun  2,000 
girls,  and  100,000  lire  business  is  done  each  year. 
The  Countess  is  always  studying  and  searching  for  new 
designs,  and  indeed  does  considerable  work  person- 
ally, for  she  is  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  delight- 
ful women  of  Italy. 

At  Perugia,  the  Countess  del  Majno  with  the  help 
of  the  artist  Rossi  Scotti,  has  collected  a  small  num- 
ber of  scholars  around  a  very  old  lady  in  whose  hands 

[3°6] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

lie  the  secrets  of  the  beautiful  silken  tapestries,  punto 
ajiamma  (flame  stitch),  which  with  their  permanent 
colorings  artistically  arranged,  make  beautiful  altar 
decorations. 

At  the  Savignano  di  Romagna,  the  Countess  Ras- 
poni  has  successfully  produced  in  her  school  silk  braids 
and  fringes ;  at  Cigoli,  Baroness  Sonnino,  fringes  and 
tessuti.  At  Circello  the  Duchess  of  Somora  has 
revived  tapestries  worked  in  lana  a  rilievo.  Miss 
Smith  in  Anghiari  has  taught  the  peasants  to  em- 
broider innestare  su  rozza  tela,  a  very  simple  stitch, 
forming  an  embroidery  without  color.  At  Tres- 
piano,  the  Signorina  Amari  has  taught  the  girls  of 
the  school,  directed  by  her,  rare  old  stitches  which 
she  has  sought  from  museums,  galleries  and  long  for- 
gotten books,  for  the  Signorina  is  one  of  the  most 
valued  members  of  the  society,  and  a  delightful  per- 
son, as  I  have  learned  to  know. 

At  Friuli  is  the  school  of  the  Countess  Cora  di 
Brazza-Savorgnan,  who  is  an  American  woman  (nee 
Slocum)  of  whom  we  should  be  proud  because  of 
the  energy  and  ability  she  has  shown  in  connection 
with  the  Industrie  Femminili.  She  comes  from  New 
Orleans,  and  has  given  the  greater  part  of  her  time 
for  several  years,  to  directing  and  helping  this  work 
of  uplifting  the  women  of  Italy.     I  had  such  a  pleas- 

[307] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ant  call  a  few  days  ago  when  I  went  to  see  her  at  the 
Palazzo  Brazza  in  the  Via  dell'  Umilta.  She  was 
staying  with  her  mother-in-law  temporarily,  as  she 
was  soon  to  start  on  a  tour  through  Italy,  of  inspec- 
tion and  advice  to  the  various  schools  connected  with 
the  organization,  which  she  has  done  so  much  to  make 
a  permanent  success.  We  found  her  at  her  type- 
writer, sheets  of  paper  on  all  sides,  and  near  at  hand  a 
number  of  immense  sample  books,  showing  the  various 
laces,  embroideries  and  other  works  of  the  Italian 
women.  She  showed  me  a  case  of  gold  medals  bear- 
ing the  stamp  "Cora  Brazz^"  that  had  been  pre- 
sented to  her  at  different  expositions,  where  the  laces 
of  her  school  had  been  exhibited. 

The  Countess  Brazza  presides  over  several  schools 
in  the  district  of  Friuli  that  is  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous agricultural  sections  in  Italy,  rich  not  only  in 
soil  but  in  air,  and  has  the  double  advantage  of  near- 
ness to  both  mountain  and  sea,  which  makes  the 
climate  very  invigorating.  Here  was  once  a  favorite 
Venetian  stronghold,  and  it  doubtless  looks  much 
the  same  to-day  as  when  attacked  by  Attila  nearly 
fifteen  centuries  ago.  One  sees  here  and  there  the 
pretty  churches  with  their  stately  bell  towers,  sepa- 
rated from  the  main  structure,  as  is  the  custom  in 
Venezia.      These  people  lived  under  the  rule  of  the 

[308] 


LACES  MADE  BY  FOUR  DIFFERENT  SCHOOLS  OF  THE 
INDUSTRIE  FEMMINILI 


FILET   LACE   FROM   THE  SCHOOL   OF  THE   COUNTESS  TAVERNA   AT  COMO 


■■[ 

^^^^V*^    1 

^H 

^m^ 

'^^^1 

BvV  "^ 

)■ 

^jI^'I 

' '1 

mm^  1 

^^H 

LACE  WORK  FROM  THE  SCHOOL  OF  THE 
COUNTESS  CAVAZZA   AT  BOLOGNA 


LACE  AND  EMBROIDERY  FROM  THE  SCHOOL 
OF  SIGNORINA   AMARI   AT  TRESPIANO 


LACE  FROM  THE  SCHOOL  OF  THE  MARCHESA  DE  VITI  DE   MARCO  AT  PESCOCOSTANZO 


OFTHt 


OF 
IFOf 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Venetian  Republic  for  many  years,  and  are  still  repub- 
licans in  their  sentiments,  rather  than  royalists ;  they 
remind  one  one  strongly  of  the  Swiss. 

In  the  lace  schools  established  here,  little  girls 
from  seven  years  and  upwards  are  taken  as  pupils,  and 
though  they  have  much  to  do  in  the  fields  at  certain 
seasons,  they  manage  to  give  considerable  time  to 
their  lace  work.  The  youngest  scholars  begin,  of 
course,  with  the  simplest  designs  and  the  easiest 
stitches.  The  teachers  receive  from  four  to  eight 
dollars  a  month,  and  the  best  pupils  earn  about 
sixty  dollars  a  year,  a  large  sum  for  this  land,  where 
the  living  is  so  inexpensive.  Naturally  this  is  a  great 
assistance  to  the  families,  and  many  a  girl  at  the  time 
of  her  marriage  finds  herself  the  possessor  of  an  unus- 
ually large  dot  for  the  vicinity  in  which  she  lives. 
Besides  the  financial  help  to  the  district,  there  are 
other  equally  important  benefits  to  the  people,  for 
the  peasants  have  learned  that  time  is  money,  and 
when  the  weather  makes  it  impossible  to  work  in 
the  fields,  they  can  still  earn  their  day's  wage  with 
their  lace.  In  the  school  they  make  about  two 
cents  an  hour,  more  in  proportion  than  they  would 
get  for  a  long  day's  work  in  the  field,  where  they 
are  paid  seventeen  cents  a  day. 

Besides,   the    Countess    Brazza    has  tactfully  and 

[309] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

cleverly  taught  the  value  of  cleanliness,  a  difficult  task, 
for  many  of  the  Italian  peasants  are  not  altogether 
cleanly  in  their  habits.  The  appeal  to  the  vanity  of 
the  girls  seems  to  have  met  with  complete  success, 
the  pretty  white  aprons  and  short  white  sleeves  have 
worked  the  magic,  so  that  now  the  girls  of  fifteen 
and  eighteen  are  clean  as  well  as  capable;  realizing 
the  improvement  in  themselves,  they  insist  upon  it 
in  their  families,  as  well  as  in  their  suitors.  Not 
satisfied  with  having  brought  about  all  this  good,  the 
Countess  has  done  much  to  raise  the  moral  standard 
of  the  whole  community.  For  instance,  the  first 
prize  given  once  a  year  on  Prize-day  goes  to  the  girl 
who  has  shown  the  best  self-control,  is  most  orderly 
and  truthful,  and  the  prize  is  a  golden  three-leafed 
clover  on  a  gold  chain.  The  second  prize  rewards 
the  co-operative  spirit,  and  is  given  to  the  girl  who 
has  taught  the  most  to  her  friends.  In  fact  all  sec- 
tions of  the  school  are  run  on  a  co-operative  plan. 
When  a  girl  has  learned  one  or  two  stitches,  she  is 
expected  to  teach  them  to  her  companions,  before 
she  herself  learns  the  third.  The  third  and  last  prize, 
consisting  of  a  fully  equipped  cushion  for  lace  work, 
is  given  to  the  girl  who  has  done  the  best  work. 

In  studying  the  economic  value  of  the  sales  of  lace 
in  most  countries,  we  find  that  the  middle-man  gen- 

[310] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

erally  makes  large  profits  over  and  above  the  price 
paid  to  the  women  w^ho  make  the  lace,  and  the  mer- 
chant who  sells  it;  but  through  these  lace  schools  of 
the  Industrie  Femminiliy  all  this  injustice  will  be  done 
away  with.  The  Countess  told  me  that  the  Society, 
after  paying  four  per  cent,  on  its  stock,  as  well  as 
allowing  a  discount  to  stockholders  on  their  pur- 
chases, betters  the  condition  of  its  wage-earners  by 
dividing  among  them  the  net  profits. 

The  Society  receives  work  from  any  Italian  woman 
who  makes  artistic  things,  which  must  meet,  of 
course,  the  approval  of  the  committee  on  inspection, 
and  one  sees  in  the  shop  where  I  have  been  this  after- 
noon, not  only  lace  and  embroideries,  linens  and  tex- 
tiles, but  also  work  in  tortoise  shell,  coral,  leather 
and  wood,  mosaics,  engravings  on  glass,  porcelain, 
enamel  and  especially  beautiful  reproductions  of  old 
book  illuminations. 

The  Countess  talked  to  me  a  good  deal  about  the 
new  project  that  she  is  about  to  put  into  execution.  It 
is  bound  to  be  a  success,  if  she  is  at  the  head  of  it,  as 
she  is  a  woman  of  great  executive  ability.  She  told 
me  that  during  this  year  she  means  to  establish  a 
summer  school,  where  women  from  any  country, 
bearing  proper  references,  may  come  and  study,  at 
the  same  time  enjoying  good  food  and  lodging  at 

[3"] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

reasonable  rates.  Instruction  will  be  given  very  in- 
expensively in  languages,  music,  painting,  archas- 
ology,  folk-lore  and  agriculture.  The  school  will 
remain  open  until  November  nth,  as  the  climate  at 
Torreano  di  Martignaccio  is  particularly  healthful, 
and  as  the  surrounding  country  is  very  beautiful,  it 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  delightful  as  well  as  an  original 
undertaking.  Here,  as  in  the  schools,  the  main  ob- 
ject is  not  commercial  gain,  but  rather  to  bring  to- 
gether the  women  of  many  different  countries,  that 
each  may  know  the  other  better,  and  gain  a  wider 
international  outlook  on  the  world.  The  school  is  to 
be  called  the  Santa  Margherita  Summer  School,  after 
the  mountain  Santa  Margherita,  which  rises  about 
eight  hundred  feet  above  the  Adriatic  in  the  vicinity. 
The  Countess  asked  me  to  come  this  afternoon  to 
the  shop  where  the  works  are  exhibited ;  and  every- 
thing is  as  dainty  and  artistic  as  possible.  At  one 
end  is  a  sort  of  little  room  for  afternoon  tea,  and 
various  ladies  interested  in  the  Society  are  quite  apt 
to  drop  in  about  five  o'clock,  so  over  the  tea  and 
cakes,  I  learned  from  the  ladies  themselves  many 
interesting  details  of  the  work  done,  and  their  hopes 
for  the  future.  The  beautiful  Princess  Venosa,  a 
sister-in-law  of  the  Countess  Taverna,  was  there  with 
her  niece,  the  Countess  Martini-Marescotti.     To  my 

[312] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

way  of  thinking  the  young  Countess  is  the  most 
beautiful  woman  in  Rome,  always  excepting  the 
Queen.  She  was  born  the  Princess  Ruspoli,  and  is 
quite  as  charming  as  she  is  beautiful,  though  she 
seems  perfectly  unconscious  of  her  attractions.  She 
was  dressed  in  very  smart  tailor  suit,  and  I  find  that 
many  of  the  Italian  women  have  quite  out-done  us 
Americans  in  the  art  of  wearing  good  tailor  clothes. 
I  think  many  of  the  dress-makers  in  America  have 
urged  fussed-up  French  model  coats  because  they  go 
out  of  fashion  so  soon,  but  surely  they  are  not  nearly 
as  pretty  as  these  trig,  plain  tailor-mades.  The  Italian 
women  have  beautiful  figures,  and  of  course  are  just 
the  ones  to  be  set  off  by  plain  lines. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  keep  the  relationships 
of  the  various  ladies  I  meet  quite  clear  in  my  mind. 
The  family  name  one  rarely  hears,  and  when  a  lady 
refers  to  her  sister-in-law,  her  aunt  or  cousin,  it  is  very 
confusing  to  place  the  woman,  the  name  and  the 
title  all  at  once.  However,  all  the  ladies  are  very 
kind,  and  if  I  make  a  mistake  they  set  me  right  with 
such  a  pleasant  explanation  that  puts  me  quite  at  my 
ease.  The  Italian  women  of  rank  certainly  have 
the  most  graceful  manners  of  any  women  that  I 
know. 

I  bought  a  very  pretty  illuminated  frame  to-day 

[313] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

for  your  picture,  and  wanted  to  buy  half  the  store,  the 
things  were  so  lovely.  When  we  were  ready  to  go  Prin- 
cess Venosa  asked  us  to  come  to  her  reception  on  Fri- 
day evening.  We  were  there  last  week,  and  I  think  it 
was  very  kind  of  her  to  ask  us  again.  Just  as  we 
were  going,  a  number  of  newspaper  men  came  in  to 
interview  Countess  Brazza,  and  that  was  the  last  we 
saw  of  her.  Donna  Bice  Tittoni  had  come  in  for  a 
cup  of  tea  with  the  Venosa,  as  they  say  in  Rome, 
for  as  almost  all  women  in  the  fashionable  world  have 
titles,  they  get  into  the  habit  of  leaving  them  out 
when  speaking  of  each  other ;  you  hear  about  the 
Ruspoli,  the  Taverna,  the  Colonna  and  you  are  sup- 
posed to  know  which  is  a  princess,  a  countess,  a  mar- 
quise or  a  duchess.  I  think  I  must  be  getting  quite 
Italian  for  all  this  is  beginning  to  sound  very  natural, 
and  I  find  I  really  do  know  who  these  various  people 
are. 

At  Cocolia,  the  Countess  Pasolini  has  established 
a  school  of  embroidery,  with  the  aim  of  giving  to  the 
women  a  means  of  livelihood,  which  should  not  inter- 
fere with  their  daily  household  labor.  Countess 
Spalletti  brought  to  the  towns  of  Luciano  and  Quar- 
rata,  in  Tuscany,  the  work  al  modano,  made  from 
authentic  antique  designs.  The  women  in  this  school 
number  over  a  hundred,  and  they  are  able  to  do  the 

[314] 


GLIMPSES    OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

work  of  the  school,  and  also  give  the  necessary  atten- 
tion to  their  little  families. 

At  Pescocostanzo,  the  Signora  Colecchi  has 
founded  a  school  to  revive  the  old  embroidery  called 
spina  di  pesce  (fishes'  back-bone),  a  most  complicated 
stitch  in  woven  linen,  where  the  stitch  serves  as  a  foun- 
dation for  the  design  formed  by  the  linen  itself.  In  the 
same  place,  the  Marchesa  de  Viti  de  Marco  has 
revived  the  embroidery  a  viarella  done  now  some- 
times by  design,  and  sometimes  according  to  the 
taste  of  the  workwomen,  showing  in  this  way  the 
innate  artistic  sense  of  these  peasants.  Here,  I  was 
told,  there  are  two  schools  of  embroidery,  and  some 
ladies  have  taken  pains  to  gather  about  an  Italian 
peasant,  over  eighty  years  old,  some  young  girls  in 
order  that  they  may  learn  the  secrets  of  some  of  the 
old  tapestries  known  only  to  this  peasant  and  in  dan- 
ger of  soon  being  lost  forever. 

Pescocostanzo  is  a  small  town  in  the  higher 
Abruzzi  Mountains,  in  the  Province  of  Aquila,  just 
emerging  from  the  isolation  of  the  middle  ages,  and 
in  the  words  of  the  Marchesa  deViti  de  Marco,  "with 
a  keenly  felt  tradition  of  dignity  and  self-reliance." 
The  origin  of  the  town  is  uncertain,  but  tombs  be- 
longing to  remote  antiquity  have  recently  been  dis- 
covered in  its  vicinity.      Five   hundred    years    ago, 

[315] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

as  a  fief  of  the  Marquisate  of  Pescara,  the  town  en- 
joyed the  protection  of  Vittoria  Colonna,  and  in  the 
church  may  still  be  seen  many  monuments  that  tes- 
tify to  the  skill  of  the  Pescolian  artists,  trained  in 
Rome  to  a  love  of  arts  and  crafts,  through  the 
interest  of  the  gentle  lady,  whose  domination  was 
gladly  accepted  by  them.  In  1774,  however, 
Ferdinand  IV,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  bought 
the  barony  and  bestowed  its  freedom  upon  Pesco,  an 
incident  unique  in  the  history  of  this  monarch. 
Thus  it  happens  that  Pescocostanzo  has  on  its  shield 
no  device  of  feudal  servitude.  There  were  in  the 
town  three  classes,  the  gentry,  the  artisans  and  the 
peasants.  The  upper  class  derived  its  wealth  from 
rent,  and  from  the  flocks  and  herds  which  grazed  in 
summer  in  the  uplands,  and  in  winter  found  free 
grazing  land  below  on  the  great  table  lands  of  Apu- 
lia. Formerly  the  Pescolians  beautified  with  their 
handiwork  the  other  towns  in  the  Abruzzi  Moun- 
tains, as  well  as  their  own,  but  to-day  the  artisans,  as 
well  as  the  shepherds  and  farmers,  are  emigrating  to 
America  in  search  of  an  honest  livelihood,  while  the 
burden  of  caring  for  the  farm  falls  upon  the  women 
left  at  home.  Their  task  is  indeed  hard,  for  they 
must  labor  by  day  in  the  field,  and  with  their  bob- 
bins at  night,  in  order  that  the  pittance  required  for 

[316] 


Pescarr. 
tectior 

cscolian  artist 

rafts,  thr 

ought 
Pe^co,  an 


PORTRAIT  OF  VITTORIA  COLONNA  IN    I  HE 
COLO^fNA  GALLERY 


'    hard,  for  th* 
n    their 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  support  of  their  family  may  be  obtained  by  their 
constant  effort. 

Each  part  of  Italy  has  an  individuality  of  its  own, 
and  in  the  laces  produced  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  one  sees  the  same  marked  characteristics 
that  distinguish  the  exquisite  arts,  which  the  traveler 
admires  in  journeying  through  Italy.  Indeed,  it  used 
to  be  true,  that  one  could  only  obtain  Genoese  silver 
and  gold  in  Genoa,  Florentine  mosaics  only  in  Flor- 
ence, Venetian  chains  only  in  Venice,  Roman  gold 
and  Roman  silks  only  in  Rome,  corals  and  turquoise 
shells  much  better  in  Naples  than  anywhere  else ;  but 
now,  the  railroad  has  changed  all  this,  although  it  is 
still  true  that  the  best  of  each  specialty  is  to  be 
found  in  the  place  where  it  is  originally  made.  In 
the  same  way,  each  little  Italian  city  has  its  own 
special  characteristics,  and  the  work  of  the  women  of 
each  district  bears  its  own  individual  imprint.  This 
town  of  Pescocostanzo  seems  to  be  especially  inter- 
esting as  a  type  of  southern  Italy,  with  its  generosi- 
ties, its  enthusiasms  and  singular  lack  of  method.  The 
laces  made  in  this  part  of  the  country  form  the  chief 
interest  of  the  women  who,  for  many  months  in 
the  year,  live  almost  a  cloistered  life.  The  winters 
are  extremely  cold  and  long  in  these  mountains,  and 
the  summer,  that   comes   late,  ends   early,  so   that 

[317] 


GLIMPSES  OF  IJALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  women  rarely  leave  their  homes,  and  usually  find 
their  lace-making  an  outlet  for  their  energy  and  in- 
terests. As  the  Marchesa  de  V.  has  aptly  said,  "The 
Orientals  weave  prayers  into  their  carpets,  but  to 
these  women  their  work  is  in  itself  a  form  of  prayer." 
She  says  that  one  may  still  find  hundreds  of  indus- 
trious women  who  rarely  leave  their  homes,  but  live 
in  a  world  apart,  absorbed  in  lace-making  and  its 
technical  problems.  The  finding  of  a  new  stitch, 
the  working  out  of  an  old  design  from  fragments  of 
paper  carefully  preserved  in  some  old  chest,  thus  per- 
petuating the  work  of  hands  long  since  vanished, 
make  up  the  major  part  of  their  lives. 

"To  define  these  designs  in  which  the  idea  is 
often  barely  suggested,  implies  an  affinity  of  senti- 
ment with  the  dreamer  who  first  thought  them  out, 
and  this  feeling,  together  with  the  special  manual 
facility  of  execution,-'seems  almost  a  hereditary  gift 
of  Pescocostanzo.  To  these  souls  enveloped  in  a 
mediaeval  silence,  the  lace  work  offers  almost  the 
only  outlet  for  imagination  or  for  the  inner  religious 
feeling.  How  many  are  the  dreams  recorded  in  the 
lace,  with  what  mystic  fervor  and  devout  heart  are 
the  sacred  symbols  traced  in  the  work  destined  for 
the  church!"  The  life  to-day  in  this  little  town, 
whose  solitude  was  disturbed  four  years  ago  by  the 

[318] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

railroad,  is  but  little  changed  from  the  days  when 
Vittoria  Colonna  was  the  first  lady  of  the  land,  and 
where  she  would  find  herself  to-day  probably  quite 
as  much  at  home  as  ever. 

In  the  first  exposition  of  the  Women's  Work  in 
Rome,  the  exhibit  from  Pescocostanzo  attracted 
much  interest  and  admiration  and  was  awarded  a 
diploma  of  the  first-class.  The  Marchesa  is  also 
much  interested  in  a  school  she  has  started  in  Cas- 
amassella,  which  is  proving  very  successful.  I  have 
written  you  before  about  the  charming  and  talented 
Marchesa  herself,  of  her  lovely  palace,  of  her  many 
kindnesses  to  me  and  of  her  generous  admiration  of 
my  voice. 

The  Marchesa  Romegne  Ranieri  di  Sorbello,  n€e  * 
Romaine  Roberts,  has  also  a  school  at  Passignano, 
near  Perugia,  where  most  curious  embroideries  on 
linen  are  done.  Here  are  three  of  the  most  ener- 
getic workers  in  this  Society  (the  Countess  Brazz^, 
the  Marchesa  di  Viti  de  Marco,  the  Marchesa  di 
Sorbello),  all  bearing  long  and  noble  Italian  names; 
but  we  are  proud  to  claim  them  as  American  women, 
who  have  gone  into  the  Old  World,  and  are  not  only 
a  credit  to  the  titles  that  they  bear,  but  an  honor  to 
the  name  of  womanhood,  for  the  energy  and  ability 
they   have   shown    in    advancing   the    condition    of 

[319] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

woman  in  the  country  which  they  have  adopted  as 
their  own. 

You  can  see  from  what  I  have  written  what  a 
splendid  work  is  being  carried  on  by  the  noble 
women  of  Italy.  Perhaps  you  will  read  this  letter 
to  some  of  your  friends,  for  I  hope  to  interest  the 
people  at  home,  and  I  am  sure  I  shall  be  able  to  do 
so.  The  ladies  this  afternoon  were  kind  enough  to 
make  me  one  of  the  members  of  the  Society,  so  that 
I  feel  now  a  right  as  well  as  an  interest  in  doing  all 
that  I  can  for  the  Industrie  Femminili  Italiane, 


[320] 


XXXVIII. 
To  T.  C.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  April  i,  1905 

My  dear  P.: 

YESTERDAY  morning  I  had  a  most  satis- 
factory sing  with  Sgambati.  After  lunch 
we  left  a  few  cards,  and  then  went  to  call 
on  the  Countess  Sanminiatelli,  who  introduced  me 
to  the  Countess  della  Salla,  another  charming  New 
Orleans  woman  married  in  Italy. 

Last  Sunday  afternoon  we  went  again  to  call  on  the 
Countess  Bruschi,  who  receives  every  Sunday,  before 
five,  in  her  lovely  big  apartment  in  the  Piazza  delle 
Terme.  Just  as  we  were  going  out,  we  met  her  two 
pretty  little  daughters.  The  Countess  is  so  very 
young  looking  that  it  seemed  impossible  that  these 
young  girls  could  be  her  children. 

On  our  way  home  we  stopped  for  a  call  on  Mrs. 
Morris,  but  did  not  find  her,  so  we  went  down  the 
Spanish  steps  to  the  Piazza  for  tea.  On  the  steps, 
going  either  up  or  down,  we  always  meet  some  of 
the  scholars  of  the  various  Roman  Catholic  semi- 

[321] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 
naries,  who  frequently  walk  up  to  the  Pincio  in  the 
afternoon.  The  English  and  French  seminaries 
wear  black  gowns;  the  Scotch,  violet  soutanes,  red 
girdles  and  black  cloaks,  but  the  Germans  and  Hun- 
garians wear  gowns  and  cloaks  of  the  brightest 
scarlet,  so  F.  B.  and  I  always  call  them  the  "  red 
devils."  Our  American  students  wear  black  gowns 
with  blue  linings  and  red  girdles,  so  when  we  see 
any  of  our  own  students  in  or  about  St.  Peter's,  or 
the  Vatican,  we  ask  them  for  various  explanations 
and  invariably  find  them  most  polite. 

Just  before  going  in  to  dress  for  dinner,  we  ran 
across  the  street  to  the  church  of  the  Cappucini; 
the  real  name  is  Santa  Maria  della  Concezione,  but 
nobody  ever  calls  it  that.  We  were  glad  to  refresh 
our  memories  with  a  good  look  at  the  famous  St. 
Michael  by  Guido  Reni,  of  which  we  see  a  copy 
whenever  we  go  to  St.  Peter's.  F.  B.  insisted  on 
my  going  down  for  a  hurried  look  at  the  ghastly 
burial  vaults,  where  the  bones  of  four  thousand  de- 
parted Capuchins  are  arranged  as  a  wall  decoration. 
It  was  so  dreadfully  cold  there,  that  we  did  not  dare 
to  stay  longer  than  a  very  few  moments. 

Well,  my  dinner  last  night  for  Lady  X,  went  off 
very  nicely;  the  table  was  pretty  with  hot-house 
roses  and  lilacs  sent  from  Nice,  and  every  one  seemed 

[322] 


'-j4,  »■>  'B.^WOM  MTti   UTCMitJLf  It 


y^^iTy^/^^ 


sea; 


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HIS  EXCELLENCY  SIGNOR  TITJ  o\], 

MINISTER   OF   FOREIGN   AFFAIRS  AND   ITALy's   FOREMOST  STATESMAN 


\N ,: 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,   BY  TRYPHOSA    BATES   BATCHELLER 


4-  ^^^  ^Uy^^^^^U 


Of"  THE 

UNIVERSITr 


OF 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

to  have  a  good  time.  His  Excellency  Signor  Tittoni 
was  on  my  right,'and  I  enjoyed  so  much  hearing  him 
explain  why  there  are  so  many  interprovincial  tariffs. 
Of  course,  Italy  is  perfectly  united,  nevertheless  the 
influence  of  past  centuries  is  not  to  be  done  away  with 
in  a  moment,  and  the  large  cities  of  provinces,  which 
were  once  kingdoms,  feel  that  they  must  protect 
their  own  specialties ;  still  it  is  all  much  better  than 
it  used  to  be,  and  you  now  see  Neapolitan  coral  in 
Milan  and  the  Genoese  silver  in  Rome,  though  you 
have  to  pay  somewhat  dearer  for  it  than  in  the  city 
where  it  is  made.  Signor  Tittoni  speaks  English 
extremely  well,  for  he  received  part  of  his  education 
at  Oxford,  England.  He  is  a  brilliant  man,  a  great 
diplomat,  and  recently  when  the  Cabinet  all  resigned, 
the  King  looked  to  him  for  a  solution  of  the  difficul- 
ties, and  while  His  Majesty  did  not  wish  to  give  him 
up  as  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  for  the  time  being 
he  begged  him  to  take  the  Prime  Minister's  folio. 

Donna  Bice  was  as  animated  and  fascinating  as 
usual  last  night,  and  wore  a  tres  reussie  Parisian 
gown  of  pink  velvet.  How  much  prettier  these  soft 
velvets  are  than  the  stiff  ones  people  used  to  wear  ! 
Lady  X.  was  in  half  mourning,  but  black  is  very 
becoming  to  her.  The  Countess  Taverna,  who  sat 
next  to  F.  B.,  looked  as  lovely  as  she  always  does — 

[323] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

and  what  do  you  think  !  Prof.  Helbig  actually  came 
to  the  dinner ;  he  dislikes  going  out  so  much  that  I 
feared  he  would  not  come,  but  I  begged  his  mother 
to  intercede  for  me,  with  the  result  that  he  not  only 
came,  but  made  himself  perfectly  delightful  to  every- 
one. Why  is  it  that  men  who  know  so  well  how  to 
be  agreeable  are  generally  those  who  do  not  care  a 
bit  about  society  ? 

The  dining-room  was  quite  gay  last  night.  Next 
to  our  big  table  (there  were  fourteen  of  us)  Donna 
Franca  Florio  was  giving  a  dinner  for  H.  E.  the 
Marchesa  L.  di  Rudini,  and  I  especially  noticed  the 
Duchess  of  Terranova,  who  is  a  real  Spanish  beauty. 
At  another  table  Mme.  Patti  (Baronne  Cederstrom) 
and  her  husband  were  dining  with  the  Baronne  von 
Bildt,  and  at  a  small  table  near  by  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lehr  of  New  York.  After  dinner,  all  those  giving 
parties  had  little  alcoves  arranged  in  the  Palm  Garden 
for  their  special  guests,  and  with  the  liqueurs  nearly 
all  the  women  smoked — it  is  quite  the  usual  thing 
here,  but,  of  course,  I  always  decline  the  cigarettes, 
on  account  of  my  throat. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock,  when  our  guests  had 
left,  we  followed  the  Countess  Taverna,  who  had 
gone  on  before  to  the  Princess  Venosa's  recep- 
tion.      One    after  another  of  the  friends  who  had 

[324] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

been  dining  with  us,  came  in,  and  we  had  a  very 
pleasant  evening. 

I  had  a  charming  letter  to-day  from  Mr.  Henry 
White,  Secretary  of  the  American  Embassy  at  Lon- 
don, who,  as  you  know,  has  been  recently  appointed 
Ambassador  to  Rome — fortunate  Rome  and  unlucky 
London!  Two  or  three  English  people  said  to  me, 
only  yesterday,  "I  am  sure  I  do  not  know  what  we 
shall  do  in  London  without  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White. 
No  one  in  American  diplomatic  service  has  ever  had 
more  friends  or  greater  diplomatic  success  than  he. 
The  King  and  Queen  thought  a  great  deal  of  the 
Whites,  dined  at  their  house,  and  showed  them  many 
unusual  attentions."  I  agree  with  all  this,  but  every 
one  knows  Mr.  White  will  make  an  ideal  Ambassa- 
dor. Mrs.  White,  too,  is  just  the  sort  of  a  person 
to  be  admired  and  appreciated  in  Rome,  and,  of 
course,  Muriel's  friends  will  be  legion  wherever  she 
goes.  One  young  Italian  nobleman  asked  me  if  the 
daughter  of  the  new  Ambassador  knew  how  to  flirt . 
I  told  him  I  could  not  answer  as  to  that,  but  that 
everyone  thought  her  beautiful  and  charming. 

Flirter  has  been  adopted  into  the  Italian  and  French 
languages,  so  somebody  must  have  done  some  flirting 
somewhere,  which,  I  suppose,  accounts  for  the  ques- 
tion. 

[325] 


XXXIX 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  April  2,  1905 
My  dear  M. : 

WE  have  had  such  an  interesting  afternoon. 
The  day  was  so  fine,  we  thought  we 
would  take  a  drive  in  Margherita  Park, 
Passeggiata  Margherita^  as  it  is  called  here,  and  come 
home  by  way  of  Mme.  Helbig's  villa.  She  is  at 
home  every  afternoon  but  Tuesday,  when  she  goes 
to  her  hospital  for  sick  children. 

Spring  is  surely  here;  the  air  is  soft  and  balmy, 
and  flowers  are  beginning  to  be  everywhere  in  the 
parks.  One  can  quite  understand  why  the  poets 
write  about  beautiful  spring  in  Europe,  especially  in 
Italy.  Most  of  our  American  poets  have  wisely 
turned  to  our  beautiful  New  England  autumn,  for 
our  springs  do  not  inspire  poetic  feelings,  especially 
windy  days  in  Boston. 

When  we  reached  the  Villa  Lante,  the  door  stood 
open,  and  we  heard  sounds  of  music.  F.  B.  and  I 
tiptoed    into    the   big   music-room,    and    there    sat 

[326] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Madame  at  one  grand  piano,  an  Italian  gentleman  at 
another,  and  a  lovely  Tschaikovsky  duet  was  going 
on.  What  beautiful  music  that  wonderful  man  has 
written!  I  was  quite  lost  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
music,  when  Madame,  suddenly  spying  me,  called: 
**Come  on,  dear  Paragon,  I  want  you  to  sing  your 
*  Magic  Flute*  for  all  these  people."  There  were 
several  ambassadors,  attaches  and  a  number  of  distin- 
guished ladies  present,  who  had  met  partly  by  chance 
and  partly  because  "  Dame  Rumor  "  had  been  busy, 
and  given  an  inkling  that  on  this  afternoon  one  might 
hear  Madame  Helbig  play.  Before  I  knew  it  Mme. 
Helbig  had  Mozart's  "Magic  Flute"  score  before  her 
on  the  piano,  and  was  playing  the  opening  bars  of  the 
aria.  One  of  the  musicians  present  rushed  to  the 
piano  and  said,  "  Surely  you  are  not  going  to  sing  it 
in  the  original  key;"  but  dear  Madame  waved  him 
aside,  laughingly  saying,  "Oh  yes,  we  are!"  and  I 
began.  She  plays  with  splendid  fire  and  enthusiasm; 
the  whole  atmosphere  was  music,  everybody  there 
was  musical  or  intensely  interested  in  music,  and  I 
was  anxious  that  my  voice  should  be  up  to  the  mark 
for  dear  Madame's  sake.  I  had  not  thought  of  singing 
for  her  to-day,  but,  fortunately,  as  it  happened,  I  had 
eaten  a  light  lunch,  and  the  song  went  off  very  nicely. 
When  I  finished,  everyone  rushed  around  the  piano 

[327] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  Mme.  H.  said,  "There!  You  say  there  are 
no  miracles  now-a-days  ;  there  is  a  miracle;  that  little 
woman's  throat  does  not  look  different  from  any  one 
else's,  yet  she  takes  that  high  F.  with  as  much  ease 
as  you  or  I  say  good  morning.  Don't  talk  to 
me  about  fairy  tales,  there  is  more  truth  in  many  of 
them,  than  in  most  of  the  story  books.'*  Then  she 
went  on  to  tell  us  of  some  wonderful  scientific  ex- 
periments that  have  been  made  in  the  production  of 
sound  waves;  when  the  vibrations  have  become  im- 
possible for  the  human  ear  to  hear,  a  cat's  hair  is  seen 
to  stand  up  straight,  and  the  animal  prances  about 
with  fury  or  delight,  impossible  to  say  which.  You  see, 
Mme.  H.  is  a  great  scientist  as  well  as  a  great  musi- 
cian; indeed  she  is  a  very  remarkable  woman  in 
every  way,  and  I  have  greatly  enjoyed  and  appre- 
ciated her  friendship  for  me. 

The  wife  of  Mon.  Kroupenski,  who  is  at  pres- 
ent the  Conseiller  d'Etat  and  Chamberlain  of  His 
Majesty  the  Czar  of  Russia,  was  very  charming,  and 
I  enjoyed  a  nice  little  talk  with  her.  Mme.  H.  in- 
troduced me  to  several  other  people  about  whom  I 
will  try  to  write  you  later,  but  these  days  are 
very  busy. 

On  our  way  home  we  stopped  at  the  old  church  of 
Sant'   Onofrio,  where  the  poet  Torquato  Tasso  is 

[328] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

buried.  We  went  into  the  church  to  see  his  monu- 
ment that  was  erected  in  1857,  by  Pius  IX,  and  then 
on  into  the  adjoining  monastery  of  the  Order  of  St. 
Jerome.  It  was  built  in  1430,  in  honor  of  the  Egyp- 
tian hermit,  Honuphrius.  There  are  only  a  few  of 
the  monks  left,  as  the  order  has  been  suppressed, 
though  those  already  here  are  allowed  to  remain,  but 
no  new  friars  can  be  added  to  the  order.  One  of  these 
old  monks  showed  us  the  room  where  Tasso  lived, 
and  where,  when  about  to  receive  his  crown  of  laurels 
on  the  capitol  from  Pope  Clement  VIII,  he  died 
on  the  25th  of  April,  1595.  Poor  Tasso  !  What  a 
sad  life  was  his  !  You  remember  his  early  life  was 
passed  in  the  service  of  the  Cardinal  d'Este,  whom 
he  accompanied  on  various  diplomatic  missions,  and 
who  brought  him  into  relations  with  his  brother,  the 
then  reigning  Duke  of  Ferrara.  Here  he  lived 
happily  for  several  years,  and  enjoyed  the  intimate 
friendship  of  the  Duke  and  his  two  beautiful  sisters, 
Lucrezia  and  Eleonora.  In  1575  his  great  epic 
poem,"  Gerusalemme  Liberata,**  was  completed;  but  a 
strange  melancholy  took  possession  of  him,  it  is  gen- 
erally believed  on  account  of  his  deep  love  for  the 
Princess  Eleonora,  whom,  of  course,  he  could  not 
hope  to  marry.  He  grew  suspicious,  saw  a  secret 
enemy  in  everyone,  and  finally  fled  from  the  court. 

[329] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

With  rest  and  quiet,  his  mind  became  clear  once 
more.  Twice  he  returned  to  the  Court  of  Ferrara, 
and  twice  the  disease  seized  his  mind.  At  last  his 
manners  and  general  actions  became  so  strange  that 
the  Duke  confined  him  in  a  lunatic  asylum,  where 
he  remained  seven  years.  During  this  time  all 
Europe  read  his  great  work,  and  his  name  became 
one  of  the  greatest  of  his  age.  He  wrote  a  number 
of  beautiful  lyrical  poems,  a  pastorale,  some  essays, 
letters,  etc.  In  1586,  after  his  release  from  Ferrara, 
he  settled  at  Naples,  but  he  was  homesick  and  suf- 
fering, and  when  Pope  Clement  VIII  invited  him 
to  come  to  Rome  to  be  crowned  on  the  capitol, 
he  died  before  the  solemnity  took  place. 

Shelley's  song  for  the  poet  came  to  us  as  we  drove 
past  the  shattered  oak  tree,  under  which  Tasso  used 
to  sit,  and  which  is  marked  by  a  tablet  to  his  memory. 

"I  loved  —  alas  !  our  life  is  love  ; 
But,  when  we  cease  to  breathe  and  move, 
I  do  suppose  love  ceases  too. 
I  thought  (but  not  as  now  I  do) 
Keen  thoughts  and  bright  of  linked  lore,— 
Of  all  that  men  had  thought  before, 
And  all  that  Nature  shows,  and  more. 
And  still  I  love,  and  still  I  think 
But  strangely,  for  my  heart  can  drink 
The  dregs  of  such  despair,  and  live. 
And  love. 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

And,  if  I  think,  my  thoughts  come  fast ; 
I  mix  the  present  with  the  past. 
And  each  seems  ugUer  than  the  last. 

Sometimes  I  see  before  me  flee 

A  silver  spirit's  form,  like  thee, 

O  Leonora !  and  I  sit 

.  .  .  still  watching  it. 

Till  by  the  grated  casement's  ledge 

It  fades,  with  such  a  sigh  as  sedge 

Breathes  o'er  the  breezy  streamlet's  edge." 


[33M 


XL 

To  T.  C.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  April  4,  1905 
My  dear  P,: 

YESTERDAY  morning  we  received  an 
invitation  from  Lady  Egerton  to  a  small 
reception  she  was  giving  for  Their  Royal 
Highnesses  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Connaught, 
their  daughter,  Princess  Margaret,  and  her  fiance. 
Prince  Gustavus  Adolphus  of  Sweden,  and  their 
other  daughter.  Princess  Victoria  Patricia.  The 
Duke  and  Duchess,  who  are  staying  but  a  few  days  in 
Rome,  have  received  a  great  deal  of  attention  from 
Their  Majesties,  the  King  and  Queen,  and  Her 
Majesty  Queen  Margherita  gave  a  dinner  for  them 
at  her  palace. 

Lady  Egerton  sent  word  that  she  would  be 
pleased  if  I  would  sing,  and  naturally  I  was  very 
glad  to  do  so.  The  British  Embassy  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  Rome,  and  Lady  Egerton  has  made  the 
great  ball-room  look  delightfully  home-like.  She  is 
exceedingly  clever  in  her  arrangement  of  furniture 
and  bric-a-brac,  for,  as  you  know,  it  is  very  difficult 
to  make  an  immensely  large  room  an  attractive  liv- 

[332] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

ing-room.  There  were  not  many  people  at  the 
reception,  and  directly  after  we  arrived  Lady  Egerton 
kindly  presented  me  to  Her  Royal  Highness  the 
Duchess.  Some  one  had  told  me  that  we  should  be 
expected  to  stand  all  the  evening,  but  that  was 
entirely  wrong,  for  everything  was  informal ;  while 
no  one  was  presented  to  the  Duke,  everyone  was 
made  to  feel  quite  comfortable,  and  the  Duchess 
was  graciousness  itself.  After  I  had  exchanged 
greetings  with  a  few  of  the  ladies.  Donna  Bice  Tit- 
toni,  Mrs.  Lamb  and  others,  Lady  Egerton  asked  if 
I  would  sing,  kindly  offering  to  play  my  accom- 
paniments. I  began  with  a  Mozart  aria,  and 
then  sang  some  modern  French  songs ;  after- 
wards Prof.  Sgambati  played  two  of  his  own  com- 
positions most  delightfully ;  a  lady  with  a  fine 
**  mezzo  **  voice  sang  some  German  songs  and  then 
Lady  Egerton  asked  me  to  sing  an  aria  from  the 
"Magic  Flute."  When  I  finished,  H.  R.  H.  the 
Duke  left  his  chair  and  was  kind  enough  to  say  that 
he  would  like  to  meet  me.  He  said  some  extremely 
kind  things  about  my  singing,  and  was  interested  to 
learn  that  I  knew  President  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt. 

So  we  had  a  mutual  admiration  talk  about  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt,  whom  the  Duke  admires  extremely — 
in  fact,  everyone  here  seems  to  have  the  most  intense 

[333] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ing  most  delightful  and  agreeable,  I  had  rather 
dreaded  to  go,  as  I  feared  I  might  not  know  many 
people,  but  my  fears  were  soon  dispelled  by  the 
thoughtfulness  and  courtesy  of  the  Countess.  I 
happened  to  wear  an  Irish  lace  dress,  and  the  Coun- 
tess was  much  interested  in  the  pattern  of  it,  for  she 
intends  having  the  little  girls  in  her  school  taught 
to  make  the  Irish  lace  as  well  as  the  beautiful  filet, 
about  which  I  have  written  you.  I  have  never  seen 
anywhere  a  more  charming  hostess  than  the  Countess 
Taverna.  She  makes  no  effort  in  receiving,  but  she 
is  ever  mindful  of  the  happiness  of  each  and  every 
one  of  her  guests.  She  always  seems  to  introduce  the 
right  people  to  one  another,  and  has  that  rare  gift 
of  saying  the  right  thing  to  everybody.  She  is  one 
of  the  best  proofs  of  your  favorite  saying,  "  Blood  will 
tell,"  for  she  belongs  to  the  illustrious  family  of  the 
Buoncompagni-Ludovisi,  and  before  her  marriage 
was  the  Princess  Piombino. 

Both  branches  of  the  family  come  from  Bologna, 
and  they  have  given  two  Popes  to  the  Vatican ;  Ugo 
Buoncompagni,  a  learned  doctor  of  the  University 
of  Bologna  (and  the  instructor  of  such  men  as  Ales- 
sandro  Farnese  and  St.  Charles  Borromeo),  who  be- 
came Pope  Gregory  XIII  in  1572.  It  was  he 
who  revised  the  calendar  by  striking  out  leap  year  at 

[234] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  close  of  each  century  except  the  fourth.  This 
Buoncompagni  Pope  was  thoroughly  competent  to 
administer  the  affairs  of  the  great  position,  both  judi- 
cially and  politically.  He  was  a  very  kindly  person, 
but  he  abhorred  the  thought  of  any  one  trying  to 
arrogate  an  influence  over  him  as  the  cardinals  so 
often  used  to  do.  He  was  a  great  lover  of  splendor 
and  magnificence,  and  spent  enormous  sums  on  his 
Papal  Court,  though  he  also  did  much  to  spread  the 
growth  of  the  Church  through  missionaries.  He 
was  indirectly  connected  with  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  and  was  always  in  constant  fear  of 
war  with  the  Turks  and  the  heretics.  Gregory 
XV  belonged  to  the  other  branch  of  the  family  of 
Ludovisi,  the  estates  and  titles  of  which  came  into 
the  Buoncompagni  family  through  marriage.  Ales- 
sandro  Ludovisi  also  came  from  Bologna,  and  was 
made  Pope  under  the  name  of  Gregory  XV  in  1623. 
To  him  is  due  the  founding  of  the  College  of  the 
Propaganda  Fide,  an  establishment  ^or  the  propa- 
gation of  the  Roman  Catholic  Faitfi,  where  pu- 
pils of  different  nationalities  are  educated  as  .mission- 
aries. In  an  old  record  of  the  election  of  the  Popes, 
I  read,  "  In  the  election  of  Gregory  XV  the  op- 
eration of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  made  manifest,  for 
Borghese,  who  had  the  command  of  six  more  votes 

[235] 


XLI 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  April  6,  1905 
My  dear  M. : 

THE  last  three  days  we  have  lived  in  a  whirl ; 
Tuesday  we  drove  up  to  the  Gianicolo  to 
say  good-bye  to  Mme.  Helbig ;  in  the  after- 
noon we  made  a  lot  of  calls,  and  in  the  evening  we 
went  to  the  second  of  the  Princess  d'Antuni's  bril- 
liant receptions.  Everybody  was  there,  and  the  Prin- 
cess took  special  care  of  me,  and  made  my  evening 
thoroughly  enjoyable. 

While  I  was  singing  with  Bustini  and  Settacciolli 
yesterday  morning,  a  message  came  from  the  British 
Embassy,  asking  me  to  send  my  album  back  by  the 
messenger.  Naturally  I  was  pleased,  and  I  am  sure 
you  will  be  gratified  to  learn  that  Their  Royal  High- 
nesses, the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Connaught,  the 
Princesses  Margaret  and  Victoria  Patricia  and  Prince 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  have  all  written  their  names  in 
my  album,  which  was  returned  last  evening. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  call  on  the  Marchesa 
de  Viti  de  Marco ;  who  should  we  meet  there  but 

[336] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Mrs.  Beerbohm  Tree  and  her  daughter,  who  are  on 
a  four  weeks'  jaunt  from  the  fogs  of  London.  Mrs. 
Tree  is  very  attractive,  listened  with  interest  to  my 
account  of  the  sale  that  was  going  on  at  the  Hotel 
Splendide  of  the  laces  of  the  Industrie ;  and  later,  when 
I  went  in  to  see  how  the  sale  was  progressing,  Mrs.  T. 
was  going  out  with  an  armful  of  purchases.  I  had 
tea  with  the  Countess  Taverna  and  Donna  Bice,  and 
ran  into  the  Marchesa  Cappelli's  for  a  last  Wednesday. 
I  am  quite  sad  that  these  are  my  last  days  with  these 
dear  women,  who  I  begin  to  feel  are  becoming  real 
friends. 

The  Countess  Prezezdziecka,  a  charming  Polish 
woman  to  whom  I  was  introduced  the  other  evening 
at  the  Antuni's,  sent  over  and  asked  us  to  come  to 
her  reception  this  evening.  The  Marchesa  Lucifero- 
Speyer  also  had  a  reception,  but  as  I  am  singing  to- 
morrow, I  feel  that  I  must  give  up  these  alluring 
invitations. 

Friday  we  are  going  out  to  Tivoli  if  the  weather 
is  fine. 


[337] 


XLII 

TlVOLI 

Rome,  Italy,  April  7,  1905. 
My  dear  C.  : 

TO-DAY  has  been  filled  to  overflowing. 
Early  in  the  morning  we  took  the  train  for 
Tivoli.^  It  was  a  bright,  sunny  day,  and  the 
Campagna  was  as  ever  most  attractive.  Arriving  at 
the  station,  we  took  a  cab  to  the  little  restaurant, 
driving  the  longest  way  round  to  get  a  better  view 
of  the  world-famed  water-falls  of  Tivoli.  We  ate 
our  lunch  on  a  terrace,  from  which  we  had  lovely 
views  of  the  mountains,  ravines  and  numberless  gush- 
ing water-falls,  that  were  everywhere,  beside  and 
beneath  us,  while  just  above  us  was  the  beautifril 
little  temple  of  Vesta. 

When  one  goes  to  Tivoli,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
understand  why  there  are  so  many  fountains  in 
Rome.  The  accumulated  waters  of  the  Sabine 
mountains  seem  to  rush  literally  under  the  town. 
Two  immense  tunnels,  one   built  centuries  ago  by 

[338] 


My 

1 


o 

> 


< 
< 

b} 
H 
< 

< 

CO 

bl 
Q 
< 
U 

CO 

<: 
u 


OF  THE 

4IVERSITY 

OF 
■^LIFOI 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  Romans,  and  the  other  by  one  of  the  more  recent 
Popes,  prevent  the  disasters  which  formerly  happened 
to  the  town  from  time  to  time,  when  the  water 
swept  away  the  foundations  of  the  houses ;  but  there 
are,  besides,  numerous  water-falls  which  rush  out 
madly  into  the  ravine  below. 

After  lunch  we  drove  over  to  the  western  part  of 
the  town,  to  see  the  beautiful  Villa  d'Este,  which, 
as  you  know,  is  one  of  the  finest  of  the  Renaissance 
period.  It  was  begun  for  Cardinal  Ippolito  d'Este, 
but  now  belongs  to  the  Archduke  Francis  Ferdinand 
of  Austria-Este. 

In  some  of  the  rooms  are  a  few  damaged  frescoes 
by  Zucchero,  odd  designs  of  men  or  women,  rep- 
resented as  coming  through  a  door-way  ;  but  the  key- 
note of  the  whole  place  is  water,  water — arranged 
in  cascades  from  one  terrace  to  another,  and  in  the 
most  ingenious  and  fascinating  way,  fountains  spring 
up  at  every  turn  in  the  beautiful  pathways,  while 
fern-grown  grottoes,  often  shielding  dainty  statuettes, 
are  on  every  side. 

We  sat  a  long  time  near  the  wonderful  group  of 
old  cypress  trees  that  have  been  so  often  painted,  and 
enjoyed  first  the  view  of  the  villa  and  fountains  on 
the  one  side,  then  the  broad  Campagna  stretching 
out  toward  Rome  on  the  other. 

[339] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

The  Cardinal  d'Este  had  gorgeous  ideas  and  gor- 
geous facilities,  but  his  dream  was  never  completed, 
and  the  whole  place  is  fast  becoming  a  ruin. 

Our  merciless  watches  told  us  we  must  leave,  if 
we  were  to  see  all  the  beauties  of  the  Villa  Adriana. 

There  is  so  much  to  be  seen  there,  and  distances 
are  so  great,  that  we  were  very  glad  of  the  sedan 
chairs  which  we  found  at  the  entrance.  An  immense 
wall  over  two  hundred  yards  long  runs  east  and  west 
at  the  entrance  of  this  villa,  so  that  one  side  is  always 
in  the  shade.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  ruins  in  Italy,  and  numerous  works 
of  art  have  been  taken  from  here  that  are  now 
among  the  treasures  of  the  Vatican  and  Capitoline 
museums.  The  villa  is  mentioned  only  twice  in 
ancient  history,  but  the  archaeologists  have  tried  to 
fit  the  ruins  with  the  description  of  Hadrian's  biog- 
rapher Spartian.  There  are  innumerable  rooms  and 
courts,  some  large,  others  small,  and  to  them  have 
been  assigned  names  more  or  less  correct,  I  suppose. 
The  mosaics  in  the  floors  are  exquisite,  and  it  was  in 
one  of  these  small  rooms  that  the  famous  mosaic  of 
the  "doves  of  the  fountain,"  that  we  see  so  often 
copied,  was  found.  There  are  numerous  subter- 
ranean halls  for  the  passage  of  servants  and  slaves, 
and  a  ruin  of  an  Egyptian  temple,  where  Hadrian  cele- 

[340] 


VIEW  OF  THE  VILLA  D'ESTE  AT  TIVOLI 


/ttcn 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

brated  festivals  in  the  Egyptian  manner.  We  decided 
to  drive  back  and  take  the  train  at  Bagni,  and,  as 
we  had  plenty  of  time,  we  walked  all  around  to  see 
these  strange  sulphur  waters,  which  are  of  a  peculiar 
blue,  and  incrust  everything  they  touch.  We  reached 
Rome  in  time  for  dinner,  and  this  evening  we  went 
to  the  reception  of  the  Princess  Venosa.  It  seems 
that  there  is  to  be  an  out-of-door  fete  given  at  one 
of  the  villas  near  Rome  for  charity,  and  some  of  the 
younger  girls  are  going  to  sell  flowers  and  candies, 
dressed  in  Louis  XVI  shepherdess  costumes.  Coun- 
tess TaVerna's  daughter  is  going  in  costume,  as  is  also 
the  daughter  of  the  Princess  d' Avella.  They  asked 
me  about  the  shepherdess'  hats,  and  I  said  that  I 
thought  the  new  fashions  in  Paris  this  spring  were  as 
near  the  old  models  as  one  could  possibly  find. 

I  met  the  Princess  Doria,  who  is  a  delightful 
English  woman,  sister  of  the  Duke  Newcastle,  and 
also  the  pretty  Duchess  of  Terranova.  After  we 
had  a  nice  chat  all  around  we  went  over  to  the 
Princess  Poggio  Suasa's.  It  was  very  late,  and  most 
people  were  going  away  as  we  came  in,  but  we  were 
very  glad,  for  we  had  a  pleasant  visit  with  the  Prin- 
cess and  her  sister,  the  Marquise,  who,  like  our- 
selves, is  soon  going  up  to  Paris. 

I  am  mailing  you  two  letters  at  once,  but  one  was 

[341] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

dated  yesterday;  I  mislaid  it  under  some  papers,  and 
could  not  find  it  at  all,  till  I  asked  St.  Anthony  of 
Padua  to  come  to  my  rescue,  after  the  manner  of 
the  Italians,  and,  sure  enough,  I  found  it  at  once. 


[342] 


XLIII 
To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

ADELAIDE    RISTORI 

Rome,  Italy,  April  9,  1905 
Dear  M.: 

SOME  time  ago,  I  wrote  you  that  I  had  met 
the  daughter  of  the  famous  actress,  Adelaide 
Ristori,  who  now  lives  in  a  fine  old  palace  in 
the  Via  Montrone,  and  bears  the  name  and  title  of 
the  Marchesa  Capranica  del  Grillo.  I  have  seen 
quite  a  little  of  Donna  Bianca,  the  daughter,  who  is 
one  of  the  sweetest  women  I  have  met  in  Rome,  and 
entirely  devoted  to  her  famous  mother. 

For  some  time  we  have  been  trying  to  arrange  a 
day  when  I  could  go  to  meet  and  sing  to  the  great 
Ristori.  A  slight  indisposition  on  her  part,  during 
the  coldest  of  the  weather,  has  made  it  impossible 
for  her  to  receive  her  friends  until  recently.  A  few 
days  ago,  however,  the  much  coveted  invitation  came, 
and  yesterday  I  had  tea  with  the  woman  who  has 
been  the  greatest  actress  of  her  time,  and  who  was  in 
her  prime  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  Italy. 

[343] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

She  is  now  over  eighty  years  of  age,  but  as  she 
came  forward  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  daughter, 
she  had  the  same  majestic  bearing  that  I  have  always 
admired  so  much  in  the  photographs  that  we  have 
of  her  at  home. 

I  was  speaking  one  day  of  music  and  art  with 
Donna  Bianca,  and  in  reference  to  Mme.  Sembrich,  I 
said,  that  I  did  not  believe  it  was  my  dear  friend's 
voice  alone  that  had  made  her  fame,  nor  her  voice 
and  art  together,  but  rather  the  sweetness  of  her  true 
womanhood,  that  was  the  crowning  attraction  to  the 
great  audiences  that  love  her  so  much.  "I  think 
that  was  always  true  of  my  mother,"  Donna  Bianca 
said;  and  I  feel  sure  this  must  have  been  so,  for 
Adelaide  Ristori  is  a  very  noble  and  beautiful  char- 
acter, as  well  as  a  great  and  distinguished  artist. 
You  will  never  make  me  believe,  that  the  personal 
character  of  an  artist  does  not  have  its  psychical 
effect  on  an  audience.  I  do  not  say,  that  in  order  to 
be  an  artist,  one  must  be  a  beautiful  character,  but 
I  do  say  that  the  greatest  artists,  those  that  are  the 
most  beloved  by  the  most  people,  like  Sembrich  and 
Ristori,  have  almost  invariably  beautiful  natures  as 
well  as  great  talent. 

As  I  drank  my  cup  of  tea,  and  sat  chatting  with  this 
famous  woman,  who  made  herself  very  interesting  and 

[344] 


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LA  MARCHESA  CAPRANICA  DEL  GRILLO 

(ADELAIDE    RISTORl) 


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COPYRIGHT,   190b,    BY  THYPHOSA   BATES   BATCHELUW 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

delightful  to  me,  I  wondered  if  I  were  in  a  dream  or  if  it 
were  really  quite  true.  The  great  Marchesa  asked  me 
if  I  would  sing  for  her,  and  I  do  not  know  when  I  ever 
enjoyed  singing  more  than  on  that  afternoon.  As  I 
finished,  the  dear  woman  took  my  hands  in  hers, 
saying,  "You  sing  straight  to  the  heart,  I  want  to 
talk  to  you,*'  and  then  she  told  me  of  some  of  her 
various  experiences  in  her  many  travels  around  the 
world.  "If  you  wish  to  be  known  everywhere,  my 
dear,  you  must  go  everywhere,  put  up  with  many 
discomforts,  learn  to  accommodate  yourself  to  various 
customs,  and  to  all  sorts  of  people,  and  as  you  love 
your  art  and  work,  happiness  and  success  will  come 
to  you.  My  life  has  been  one  long  journey,  you 
know.'* 

From  the  day  she  was  born,  Adelaide  Ristori  was  des- 
tined for  the  theatre.  The  child  of  a  mother  and  father 
who  belonged  to  one  of  the  small  traveling  troupes 
of  the  Italian  stage,  she  first  saw  the  foot-lights  at 
the  age  of  three  months,  when  the  enterprising  di- 
rector gained  an  unwilling  permission  .from  her 
mother  to  introduce  the  little  baby  into  a  small 
comedy  that  the  troupe  was  then  giving,  called  "  Les 
Etrennes."  The  story  of  the  little  scene  was  sup- 
posed to  be  one  of  reconciliation  between  a  young 
girl,  who  had  married  against   her   parents'   wishes, 

[345] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  the  irate  father.  She  had  not  the  courage  to 
confess  her  marriage  or  to  present  boldly  her  new 
baby  to  the  family,  so  on  this,  the  New  Year's  fete, 
she  had  conspired  with  an  old  servant  of  the  house 
to  place  the  baby  in  the  basket,  half  hidden  with 
the  best  fruits  and  flowers  of  the  garden,  which 
according  to  custom  must  be  presented  to  the  master 
of  the  house  on  this  day.  But  little  Adelaide  had 
no  intention  of  waiting  for  any  cue  to  make  her  voice 
heard  upon  the  stage,  and  not  being  able  to  devour 
the  fruits,  called  lustily  for  her  maternal  consolation. 
All  the  actors  were  upset,  and  the  curtain  dropped 
amidst  the  general  laughter  of  the  audience. 

Her  second  debut  was  made  at  the  age  of  three, 
where  in  one  of  the  scenes,  a  very  bad  man  was  sup- 
posed to  steal  the  child.  The  scene  was  quite  ex- 
citing, and  the  little  girl,  feeling  that  she  was  really 
being  stolen,  bit  and  scratched  at  the  poor  actor,  who 
was  trying  to  hold  her,  until  she  freed  herself  and  ran 
"willy-nilly"  to  the  arms  of  her  mamma. 

At  twelve  years  of  age  she  was  regularly  engaged 
for  children's  parts,  and  as  she  was  tall,  she  began 
soon  after  to  play  the  roles  of  young  girls  and  in- 
genues. Her  father,  a  man  of  great  good  sense, 
would  not  allow  her  to  accept  the  brilliant  offers 
which  were   made  her  by  several  of  the  companies 

[346] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

travelling  throughout  Italy,  but  conscious  that  she 
must  keep  her  health  as  well  as  continue  her  educa- 
tion, preferred  that  she  should  accept,  as  she  did  for 
a  time,  modest  parts  in  the  company  known  as  the 
troupe  of  the  King  of  Sardinia,  which  stayed  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  at  Turin.  Almost  immedi- 
ately she  began  to  play  important  roles,  and  the  hard 
work  and  many  obstacles  inevitable  to  the  artist,  only 
increased  her  enthusiasm  for  her  art.  She  had  the 
high-strung,  sensitive  nature  of  the  artist — gay  to-day, 
sad  to-morrow;  and  she  tells  the  amusing  story,  that 
once  when  she  was  not  in  the  cast  at  the  theatre, 
during  a  scene  which  represented  a  masquerade  ball, 
she  dressed  herself  in  a  domino,  and  pranced  about 
the  stage  with  the  others,  unmasking  at  the  critical 
moment,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  audience, 
before  the  astounded  actor  who  was  playing  the  prin- 
cipal role.  At  other  times,  she  became  extremely 
sad,  and  used  to  take  long  walks  in  the  cemetery,  visit 
the  insane  asylums,  and  sometimes  after  the  extreme 
nervous  tension  of  some  dramatic  role,  she  would 
faint  and  become  unconscious  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  at  a  time. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  her  manager  insisted  that  she 
should  play  the  r6le  of  Mary  Stuart.  At  first,  it 
seemed  to  her  beyond  her  strength   and  beyond  her 

[347] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

possibilities,  but  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  resign 
herself  and  study.  The  night  that  preceded  her  first 
representation  of  the  part  she  could  not  shut  her 
eyes,  but  was  very  nervous,  feverish  and  utterly  lack- 
ing in  her  confidence  to  succeed. 

She  said  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  all  the  eyes  of  the 
audience  contained  sharp  points  which  were  sticking 
into  her  body.  She  seemed  to  hear  people  say, 
"  Dear  child,  she  can  never  play  such  a  part,"  and 
then  a  horrible  silence  would  follow,  in  which  no 
one  dared  to  applaud.  Her  sweet  mother  guided 
and  guarded  her  through  these  days  of  trial  and 
worry,  and  her  conscientious  work  brought  her  full 
success. 

I  was  struck  by  this  frank  admission  of  nervous- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  great  artist.  I  remember 
Sarasate,  the  well-known  Spanish  violinist,  saying  to 
me  once  when  we  were  waiting  our  turn  in  a  con- 
cert, in  which  we  were  both  taking  part,  "  Anyone 
who  says  he  feels  no  emotion  whatever  when  he 
faces  a  great  audience  lies."  Of  course  he  did  not 
mean  that  everyone  is  terrified  with  fear,  but  I  think 
myself  when  anyone  steps  on  to  the  platform,  before 
a  great  audience,  he  must  feel  a  certain  emotion. 
This  must  be  scientifically  true,  as  the  personal  vibra- 
tions of  everyone  in  the  audience  must,  just  at  first, 

[348] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

be  directed  to  the  person  on  the  platform.  After 
a  few  seconds  have  passed,  the  direct  aim  of  the 
vibrations  is  dispersed,  and  the  true  artist  gains 
his  equilibrium,  loses  his  nervousness  in  the 
pleasure  of  his  art  and  in  his  endeavor  to  please 
others. 

You  will  be  interested  to  know  that  Ristori 
believes  in  the  complete  innocence  and  sweetness  of 
the  character  of  Mary  Stuart.  I  remember  your 
telling  me  how  magnificent  she  was  in  the  role  of 
the  injured  and  ill-used  Queen  of  Scots.  Ristori's 
life  was  not  all  sunshine  and  flowers,  for  it  was  only 
after  repeated  pleadings  that  Pope  Pius  IX  gave 
his  consent  to  her  marriage  with  the  young  and 
handsome  Marchese  Capranica  del  Grillo,  whose 
family  bitterly  opposed  the  match.  There  were 
months  of  waiting,  anxiety  and  opposition,  but  at 
last  all  difficulties  were  overcome,  the  young  lovers 
were  married  and  received  the  blessing  of  the  Pope. 

Fully  recognizing  his  wife's  great  genius,  the 
Marchese  never  failed  to  aid  and  encourage  her  in 
every  possible  way.  For  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  her 
domestic  happiness  would  lessen  her  enthusiasm  for 
her  public  career,  but  she  had  a  great  desire  to  prove 
to  her  own  country,  as  well  as  to  the  world,  the 
value  of  Italian  art,  which  was  rather  being    neg- 

[349] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

lected  at  that  time,  the  public  inclining  to  favor 
more  especially  pieces  by  French  authors.  In  Paris 
she  received  the  homage  of  all  the  great  critics  and 
dramatic  writers,  and,  in  fact,  all  over  the  world, 
where  she  carried  her  wonderful  Italian  art,  she  met 
with  the  same  triumphs,  and  the  same  love  and 
admiration  were  lavished  upon  her.  No  difficulties 
daunted  or  discouraged  her,  and  so  impressed  did  she 
become  with  the  beauty  of  Shakespeare  that  she 
mastered  the  English  language,  and  played  the  role 
of  Lady  Macbeth  in  English — a  very  difficult  thing 
for  an  Italian  to  do. 

I  remember  Mon.  B.  of  France  describing  to  me 
his  impressions  of  the  sleep-walking  scene  in  that 
play.  He  said  it  was  the  most  wonderful  piece  of 
acting  that  he  had  ever  seen.  The  marvellous  way 
in  which  Ristori  was  able  to  keep  the  pupils  of  her 
eyes  perfectly  still,  and  to  speak  in  a  strange,  veiled 
voice,  such  as  one  might  use  when  walking  in  one's 
sleep,  and  yet  to  give  the  audience  the  definite  picture 
of  a  woman  morally  and  mentally  ill,  must  have  been 
extraordinary.  She  says  that  the  steady  strain  of 
keeping  the  pupils  of  her  eyes  immovable,  permanently 
injured  her  eye-sight.  Throughout  the  whole  scene 
she  gave  long,  painful  sighs,  to  give  the  impression 
that  she  was  really  in  a  nervous  sleep. 

[350] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

She  told  us  about  a  gala  night  in  Naples,  when  she 
fell  apparently  without  reason  across  the  front  of  the 
stage  into  the  foot-lights,  and  was  only  saved  from 
being  burned  seriously  by  the  brother  of  King  Ferdi- 
nand of  Naples,  Count  of  Syracuse.  Fortunately,  the 
theatre  was  lighted  with  oil,  and  though  her  arm 
was  burned  badly,  she  persisted  in  continuing  the 
performance.  It  was  said  at  the  time  that  the  acci- 
dent was  due  to  the  presence  in  the  theatre  of  a  cele- 
brated jettatura,  and  the  Count  of  Syracuse  pre- 
sented her  then  and  there  with  a  rabbit's  foot 
mounted  in  gold,  saying,  "  I  killed  the  beast  myself, 
wear  this  bijou  against  all  jettature  of  the  future." 

It  was  at  Madrid  in  the  same  year  that  Ristori  says 
she  passed  the  most  memorable  evening  of  her  life 
As  she  drove  to  the  theatre  one  evening,  she  heard 
the  solemn  ringing  of  a  bell  in  the  street  by  a  monk. 
She  asked  the  reason  of  this,  and  was  told  that  a 
young  soldier,  called  Nicolas  Chapado,  in  a  moment 
of  anger,  had  put  his  hand  to  his  sabre,  and  started  to 
attack  a  sergeant,  his  superior  officer,  and  had  been 
condemned  to  die.  The  story  filled  the  kind-hearted 
Marchesa  with  sadness,  and  while  she  was  thinking 
of  the  unhappy  man,  as  she  made  her  toilet  for  the 
stage,  a  knock  came  on  her  door.  Her  husband 
went  to  find  out  what  was  wanted,  and  discovered 

[351] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

that  a  number  of  people,  knowing  the  great  fondness 
of  the  Queen  for  Ristori,  had  come  to  beg  her  to  in- 
tercede for  the  life  of  the  condemned  man.  They 
explained  that  the  unhappy  soldier  was  an  excellent 
young  man  of  irreproachable  character,  who  had 
served  eleven  years  in  the  army,  and  had  been  struck 
unjustly  by  his  sergeant  before  his  comrades.  "  But 
the  Queen  will  think  me  foolish,"  cried  Ristori,  "  I 
should  never  dare."  She  was  quite  upset  at  the  idea 
that  they  looked  to  her  to  save  the  life  of  this  man, 
but  she  was  so  tender-hearted,  that  she  could  not 
refuse  to  do  her  utmost.  She  sent  out  into  the 
audience  by  a  messenger  that  the  Marchesa  Capranica 
del  Grillo  desired  to  see  the  Marshal  Narvaez  Duke 
de  Valence,  President  of  the  Council  of  the 
Ministers.  Always  polite,  he  came  at  once  with  his 
aide-de-camp,  and  though  at  first  stern  and  severe, 
he  could  not  but  be  moved  by  the  pleadings  of  this 
wonderful  woman.  At  last  he  said,  "  Well,  if  the 
Queen  consents,  I  will  not  oppose,  though  only  to- 
day I  begged  her  to  be  severe,  as  all  clemency  at  this 
time  is  dangerous,  for  our  revolutions  nearly  always 
begin  in  the  army.  Listen,  Madame,  in  the  entr'acte 
ask  for  an  audience  with  Her  Majesty,  be  as  eloquent 
with  her  as  you  have  been  with  me;  the  Queen 
adores  you,   she  will   tell  you  that  the  President  of 

[352] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  Council  opposes  a  pardon,  she  will  call  me;  I  will 
come,  you  may  hope."  Hardly  had  the  Marshal 
left,  when  an  anxious  crowd  overwhelmed  her  with 
questions,  but  she  could  say  nothing.  After  the  first 
act,  an  audience  of  the  Queen  was  asked  and  granted, 
and  at  the  feet  of  the  Royal  Lady  Ristori  begged  for 
the  life  of  this  poor  soldier.  "  Oh,  Your  Majesty, 
let  my  supplications  reach  your  heart,  and  pardon  a 
faithful  subject  who  is  really  a  good  soldier,  and  who 
would  give  his  life  for  Your  Majesty;  he  but  com- 
mitted an  indiscretion  in  a  moment  of  thoughtless- 
ness!" The  Queen  was  much  moved  by  the  tears 
of  the  noble  woman  at  her  feet.  "  Calm  yourself, 
Madame,"  she  said,  "  I  wished  myself  to  grant  him 
pardon,  but  the  Marshal" — forgetting  all  etiquette 
and  without  perceiving  that  she  was  interrupting  her 
Majesty,  Ristori  continued,  "  Deign  then  to  express 
your  clement  intentions,  and  I  know  the  Marshal 
will  consent  also."  True  to  his  promise,  Narvaez 
came  at  once  to  the  box,  and  bowed  before  his 
Sovereign.  The  Queen  took  Ristori's  hand,  saying, 
**  Well,  yes,  yes,  we  will  pardon  him."  As  the 
public  was  becoming  impatient,  the  Queen  sent  then 
and  there  for  pen  and  paper,  and  having  signed  the 
act  of  pardon,  said  to  Ristori,  "  There  !  At  least  one 
tragedy  is  well  ended.     Keep  this  pen,  which  shall 

[353] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

remain  for  you  and  yours  a  blessed  souvenir  ** ;  and 
Ristori,  her  precious  gift  in  her  hand,  with  a  heart 
bounding  with  joy,  announced  to  the  impatient 
crowd  awaiting  the  decision,  that  the  pardon  had 
been  granted. 

A  few  moments  afterward,  when  she  appeared 
upon  the  scene,  a  tremendous  demonstration  of 
cheers  and  vivas  resounded  from  all  parts  of  the 
house :  the  name  of  the  Queen  alternating  with 
that  of  Ristori.  "I  bowed  to  the  Royal  box,"  she 
said,  "for  I  would  not  accept  for  myself  the  gratitude 
of  the  public,  but  I  heard  the  Queen  distinctly  say 
in  a  loud  voice,  pointing  to  me,  '  No — no,  it  is  she — 
it  is  she.*  **  Ristori  says  that  she  owes  to  this  Queen 
the  most  memorable  evening  of  her  existence,  and 
she  has  always  carefully  treasured  the  pen  which 
signed  the  pardon  of  the  life  of  an  honest  man. 

In  Holland,  where  she  played  in  1859,  she  met 
with  the  same  enthusiasm,  particularly  in  Utrecht, 
where  apparently  the  whole  city  met  her  at  the  sta- 
tion, and  made  such  a  demonstration  in  the  streets 
and  in  front  of  her  hotel,  that  the  King  said,  "  It  is 
too  small  for  a  revolution,  but  too  large  for  a  demon- 
stration." Nevertheless  the  King  and  Queen  went 
often  to  her  representations  and  presented  her  with 
the  Gold  Medal  of  Artistic  Merit  of  Holland. 

[354] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT   LIFE 

So  it  was  everywhere,  young  and  old,  great  and 
small,  admired  her  alike,  and  she  received  decorations 
and  medals  from  nearly  every  crowned  head  in  the 
civilized  world ;  playing  now  at  the  winter  palace  of 
the  Czar  and  Czarina  of  Russia;  now  at  the  private 
birthday  festival  of  Emperor  William  of  Germany;  now 
in  Paris,  where  the  Emperor  Napoleon  lavished  upon 
her  decorations  and  attentions;  now  in  South  Amer- 
ica, where  the  Emperor,  Dom  Pedro,  became  one  of 
her  fast  friends,  as  well  as  her  admirer ;  and  in  our  own 
America,  the  same  admiration  and  applause  greeted 
her,  whenever  she  did  us  the  honor  to  come  to  our 
shores. 

She  says  that  the  most  remarkable  return  from  the 
playhouse  that  she  ever  had,  was  in  Havana,  Cuba. 
When  she  left  the  theatre,  the  enthusiastic  Cubans 
tried  to  unharness  her  horses  and  drag  her  carriage 
themselves.  She  was  at  last  able  to  prevent  this,  but 
she  could  not  prevent  the  enthusiastic  youths  from 
climbing  all  over  her  carriage,  at  the  risk  of  break- 
ing their  legs  in  the  wheels.  She  was  literally 
buried  with  bouquets,  and  she  said,  "I  have  often 
been  haunted  by  the  magic  spectacle  of  that  night  in 
the  tropics,  where,  under  the  star-lit  sky,  I  passed  in 
review  this  vast  crowd,  as  if  I  had  been  a  Queen. 
On  each  side  was  a  living  hedge  of  the  most  elegant 

[355] 


GLIMPSES  OF   ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

people  of  Cuba  in  evening  dress,  throwing  me  kisses 
and  flowers,  while  the  coachmen,  all  negroes,  were 
hardly  able  to-  restrain  their  horses,  frightened  by  the 
light  of  the  torches  held  all  along  the  road  I  was  to 
go.  Of  the  thousand  and  one  nights  that  I  have 
passed  in  coming  back  from  the  theatre  by  star-light, 
that  was  certainly  the  most  brilliant." 

The  last  night  that  Ristori  appeared  upon  the 
stage  was  in  New  York,  when  at  the  urgent  invita- 
tion of  a  German  company,  she  consented  to  play 
Mary  Stuart,  speaking  her  lines  in  English  while  the 
rest  of  the  company  played  in  German.  It  was  a 
very  risky  thing  to  do,  and  at  first  she  was  not  at  all 
willing  to  undertake  it,  but  her  great  art  made  all 
things  possible. 

Many  other  interesting  things,  her  daughter. 
Donna  Bianca,  has  been  kind  enough  to  tell  me,  and 
has  put  into  my  hands  material  which  has  enabled 
me  to  learn  much  more  about  the  great  Ristori  than 
I  have  known  or  realized  before,  as,  of  course,  I 
am  far  too  young  to  have  ever  seen  her  act.  Donna 
Bianca  speaks  with  much  enthusiasm  of  Boston  and 
Bostonians,  and  referred  to  the  many  kindnesses  that 
Mrs.  John  L.  Gardner  had  shown  her  mother  and 
herself,  when  they  were  last  in  America. 

The  Marchese  Giorgio,  Donna  Bianca*s  brother, 

[356] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

is  a  Gentleman-in- Waiting  to  Her  Majesty  Queen 
Margherita,  and  is  a  very  interesting  man. 

On  the  eightieth  birthday  of  Adelaide  Ristori,  a 
representation  of  some  play  was  given  in  every  theatre 
in  Italy,  and  the  proceeds  sent  to  the  great  artist  of 
whom  Italy  is  so  proud,  and  whom  it  so  justly  loves 
and  honors. 

But  the  great  Marchesa  would  not  accept  pecuniary 
offerings.  She  thanked  the  country  for  its  beautiful 
tribute,  but  used  the  money  to  establish  a  home  for 
aged  or  infirm  actresses.  It  was  like  her  great  heart 
to  do  for  others  of  the  profession  that  she  has  raised 
so  high,  who  have  been  less  fortunate  and  less  gifted 
than  herself. 


[3571 


XLIV 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  April  ii,  1905 
My  dear  M.: 

WE  had  planned  to  go  to  Frascati  this 
morning,  but  it  was  too  rainy,  so  we 
drove  up  to  the  Villa  Borghese,  to  take  a 
last  look  at  our  favorite  works  of  art  in  the  galleries 
there.  Mine  is  Bernini's  group  of  Apollo  and 
Daphne,  but  F.  B.  prefers  Canova's  Pauline  Bona- 
parte. 

After  dinner  we  called  upon  Miss  Cochrane,  and 
with  her  drove  to  see  the  famous  singer  Clara  Novella 
now  the  Countess  Gigliucci.  She  is  a  very  interest- 
ing woman,  and  told  us  many  of  her  experiences.  I 
sang  one  or  two  songs  for  her,  off-hand,  F.  B.  play- 
ing my  accompaniments;  she  said  she  had  read  a 
great  deal  about  my  voice,  and  was  anxious  to  hear 
it.  We  were  sorry  that  we  had  to  hurry  away,  but 
we  did  not  like  to  miss  Signora  de  Filippi's  reception. 
Signor  de  Filippi,  as  I  think  I  wrote  you,  is  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Aeronaut  Club  in  Rome,  and  has  made 
thirty  ascensions  this  year  in  a  balloon;  on  each  occa- 

[358] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

sion  he  has  been  accompanied  by  his  wife,  a  charm- 
ing English  woman  who  entertains  delightfully. 

Alas!  we  are  beginning  to  say  good-byes,  and 
yesterday  I  made  a  little  farewell  call  on  Mme. 
Barrere,  the  French  Ambassadress,  who  spoke  most 
kindly  about  my  voice,  and  hoped  we  would  come 
back  next  winter.  Then  we  went  around  to  Mr. 
Graham's  wonderful  apartment.  It  ought  to  be 
called  a  museum,  by  rights,  for  such  a  wonderful 
collection  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  works  of  art  I 
have  never  seen  before.  Mr.  G.  lived  for  some  years 
in  China  and  Japan,  and  had  very  exceptional  oppor- 
tunities to  purchase  rare  tapestries  and  all  sorts  of 
exquisite  oriental  bric-a-brac.  He  made  us  some 
excellent  tea,  showed  us  all  his  beautiful  things,  and 
we  had  such  a  pleasant  time  that  we  reached  home 
barely  in  time  to  dress  for  dinner. 


[359] 


XLV 
To  C.  R. 

SUA  ECCELLENZA  LA  MARCHESA  DI  RUDINI 

Rome,  Italy,  April  12,  1905 
My  dear  C. : 

THROUGH  the  kindness  and  courtesy  of  the 
Marchesa  Leone  di  Rudini  I  was  able  to 
get  a  very  nice  box  for  the  amateur  theatri- 
cals, on  March  25,  given  for  the  benefit  of  the  Edu- 
catorio  Pestalozzi,  of  w^hich  the  Marchesa  di  Rudini 
is  president.  The  house  presented  a  sight  long  to 
be  remembered,  for  all  aristocratic  and  intellectual 
Rome  found  itself  together  in  the  Argentina  theatre 
on  that  evening.  The  piece  given  was  written 
especially  for  the  occasion  by  M.  Auguste  Turchi,  and 
called  ''  Aprile  d Amore"  ("April  of  Love").  I  felt 
like  a  toy  Chinese  mandarin,  for  one  saw  everybody 
one  knew.  I  think  all  in  all  it  was  the  most  beauti- 
ful audience  I  ever  remember.  The  jewels  were 
superb,  toilets  exquisite,  and  there  were  more  beauti- 
ful women  than  I  have  ever  seen  together  at  one  time. 
Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  attended  by  her  Lady-of- 

[360] 


I  * 

i 


IMIG  fK03J  A^HDilAM  Ija3X: 


>. 


8U. 


My  deUf 

iHi  '  -riv  of  tin 

M 


T 


HER  EXCELLENCY  THE  MARCHESA  LEONE  Dl   RUDINI 


Queen,  icd  by  her  1 

[ 


COPYRIGHT,    1906.   BY  TRYPHOS*  BATES  BATCMELLEIl 


OF  ' 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Honor,  the  Countess  of  Trinity,  entered  the  Royal 
box  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  opera.  She 
looked  far  more  lovely  than  anyone  in  the  house, 
clad  in  a  white  gown,  embroidered  in  silver  spangles, 
as  she  bowed  and  smiled  at  the  ovation  of  applause 
given  her  as  she  entered.  She  wore  a  diamond  orna- 
ment in  her  hair,  which  is  so  abundant,  so  beautiful 
and  always  so  becomingly  coiffed. 

The  principal  roles  in  the  operetta  were  taken  by 
prominent  society  people,  who  sang  extremely  well. 
The  music  was  not  difficult,  but  there  was  no  feeling 
of  the  amateur,  for  they  had  all  been  well  drilled, 
and  had  so  much  natural  talent.  The  Marchese 
Carlo  Calabrini  took  the  principal  man's  part,  and 
was  perfectly  irresistible  as  a  rich  American  gentle- 
man, John  Prycchenbrack,  traveling  in  Italy,  en- 
chanted with  the  beauty  of  the  Italian  women,  and 
very  desirous  of  marrying  and  taking  back  to  America 
a  lovely  Italian  bride.  It  seems  that  the  Marchese 
Calabrini — who,  by  the  way,  is  one  of  the  Gentle- 
men-in- Waiting  to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen — has  an 
English  mother,  consequently  he  knows  all  the  tricks 
of  the  English  and  Americans  in  speaking  his  lan- 
guage, and  he  kept  the  audience  in  gales  of  laughter 
by  his  funny  foreign-sounding  Italian.  Besides  the 
rich  American,  there  were  other  Italian  suitors  for 

[361] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT   LIFE 

the  hand  of  the  Prima  Donna,  as  in  all  comic  operas, 
and  there  were  the  usual  solos,  trios  and  quartettes, 
which  were  all  extremely  well  done.  The  Mar- 
chese  Giorgio  Guglielmi,  who  is  one  of  the  favorites 
here  in  amateur  theatricals,  played  his  part  of  Don 
Palmiro,  a  sort  of  "Beau  Brummel "  suitor  in  a 
specially  fetching  manner. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  act,  the  Baron  Gino  de 
Morpurgo  brought  down  the  house  by  driving  a 
coach-and-four  in  and  around  and  about  the  stage. 

It  was  the  most  dexterous  piece  of  driving  I  have 
ever  seen,  and  round  after  round  of  applause  fol- 
lowed, as  he  drove  off  the  stage.  He  came  back  to 
bow  his  acknowledgments,  but  that  would  not  sat- 
isfy the  audience  at  all.  Shrieks  of**  Bis,  Bis  !  "  rang 
from  all  parts  of  the  house,  and  at  last  he  had  to 
drive  on  again,  and  put  his  stunning  horses  through 
their  paces  once  more.  He  did  it  just  as  well  the 
second  time,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  audience 
knew  no  bounds.  One  of  the  men  told  me  he  is 
considered  the  best  whip  in  Italy.  He  comes  from 
Venice,  where  the  only  horse  in  the  place  is  kept  in 
the  Zoo,  so  that  the  children  may  know  there  is 
such  an  animal.  Is  n*t  it  odd  ?  But,  of  course, 
all  the  principal  families  spend  a  great  deal  of  time 
in  Rome  every  year.      Morpurgo  looked  very  fine, 

[362] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

dressed  as  a  postilion,  with  white  wig,  blue  coat, 
red  waist-coat,  white  knee-breeches,  white  stockings, 
and  big  silver-buckled  black  slippers. 

The  duet  between  Mme.  De  Luca  and  Madame 
Pacini  was  also  greeted  with  much  applause.  Of 
course  the  audience  all  felt  in  good  humor  with 
themselves  and  the  world  in  general,  but  then,  the 
performance  really  was  surprisingly  well  done. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  act,  which  had  a  most 
effective  stage  setting,  representing  Spring  at  the 
Isle  of  San  Giorgio,  John  Prycchenbrack  was  sup- 
posed to  give  a  gorgeous  fete  with  his  American  mil- 
lions. Calabrini  wore  a  "Grand-father's"  hat,  an 
"  Uncle  Sam  "  beard,  long  trousers  and  a  coat  with 
long  tails ;  and  he  was  too  funny  for  words  with  his 
broken  English-Italian.  This  fete  served  as  an 
excuse  for  one  of  the  prettiest  ballets  I  have  ever 
seen  anywhere.  To  begin  with,  all  the  women  in 
it,  without  exception,  were  really  beautiful,  and  then 
the  costumes  were  fresh,  dainty  and  elegant.  As  F.  B. 
said,  "  This  is  a  ballet  after  one's  own  heart."  The 
four  seasons  were  represented  each  by  six  ladies. 
Spring  came  first,  in  costumes  of  delicate  green 
chiffon,  trimmed  with  roses,  and  wreaths  of  roses 
were  worn  in  the  hair,  while  each  one  carried  a  gar- 
land of  roses  in  her  hand.     You  see  the  roses  come 

[363] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT   LIFE 

in  the  Spring  here,  so  that  the  seasons  were  arranged 
quite  differently  from  what  they  would  have  been 
with  us.  Summer  was  represented  in  yellow  chiffon, 
trimmed  with  bunches  of  wheat  and  red  poppies,  and 
each  summer-girl  carried  a  scythe  in  her  hand.  Miss 
Patterson,  of  Baltimore,  the  niece  of  the  Countess 
Gianotti,  looked  very  pretty  as  one  of  this  group,  and 
the  costume  was  also  particularly  becoming  to  the 
Princess  Giovanelli.  Autumn  was  made  extremely 
effective  with  violet  dresses,  trimmed  with  cleverly 
arranged  wreaths  of  grape  vines  and  bunches  of 
grapes.  Another  American  girl.  Miss  Parish, 
of  New  York,  looked  very  pretty  in  these  violet 
shades.  Winter  was  the  prettiest  and  cleverest 
costume  for  the  season  that  I  remember  to  have 
seen.  The  gowns  were  of  soft,  white  mulle,  with 
little  balls  of  white  cotton  sewed  on  all  over  the 
skirts,  and  the  head  dresses  were  an  artistic  arrange- 
ment of  these  same  little  balls  of  cotton  made 
into  a  sort  of  a  crown  of  tiny  snow  balls.  Dorothy 
Mocatta,  a  handsome  English  girl  (daughter  of  a 
handsome  mother),  the  Princess  of  Camporeale,  and 
the  laughter  of  the  Marchesa  Bevilacqua  Lazise  di 
Nozarole,  carried  off  the  honors  in  this  group.  The 
prettiest  sort  of  a  dance  was  arranged,  and  you  can 
imagine  the  effect  of  the  interwinding  of  the  yellow, 

[364] 


^  OF 

''''•' 

'"^iUt  the  seasons 

quite  different' 

hat   tii'^        ._  _ 

with    Lib 

J  presented  in  yeli 

trimmc^i 

t  wheat  and  re..  ^    ,  ^. 

each  sumrr 

:!  hi^r  h:infr 

Patter^f 

Giar 

t 
1 

s 

a5 

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nrrr                 

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< 
a: 

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< 

UJ 

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bCw,.. 

u) 

little 

>-;l:  Irf 

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ad 
o 

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\fm  :5ff 

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tiie   laugh  tc 

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prettiest  sort  of  a  dai 

.„..^w^,  ... 

Itn  ;.  ;>..-  the  eff'f'  • 

;  n(?In<T  f-iT 

m; 


:<?? 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

purple,  green  and  white  colors.  Ah  !  But  every  one 
actually  held  their  breath  when  a  golden  apparition, 
representing  the  sun,  floated  on  in  the  midst  of  the 
seasons.  Every  glass  was  levelled  at  this  exquisite 
vision,  and  every  one  soon  recognized  the  beautiful 
Marchesa  Dora  di  Rudini.  Tremendous  applause 
followed.  She  was  simply  eblouissante,  and  her  rare 
dark  beauty  was  set  off  to  the  best  possible  advan- 
tage by  her  shimmering  golden  skirt  covered  with 
gold  spangles.  On  her  head  was  arranged  a  head- 
dress to  represent  the  rays  of  the  sun,  but  her  beau- 
tiful eyes  seemed  quite  as  brilliant  as  her  dazzling 
head-dress.  The  music  was  particularly  attractive 
for  her  dance,  and  I  am  sure  any  professional  dancer 
would  have  been  envious  of  the  Marchesa's  grace  and 
litheness.  When  the  curtain  dropped  at  the  last 
tableau  of  the  sun  amid  the  seasons,  everybody  was 
wild  with  enthusiasm.  They  did  it  all  over  again 
most  amiably,  and  then,  in  spite  of  herself  and  much 
against  her  will,  the  clever  and  energetic  promoter 
of  the  evening,  the  incomparable  Marchesa  Leone  di 
Rudini  was  pushed  by  various  members  of  her  own 
opera  company  to  the  front  of  the  stage,  where  she 
was  greeted  with  three  cheers. 

The  Queen  left  at  the  end  of  the  second  act,  after 
having  warmly  congratulated   H.  E,  the  Marchesa. 

[365] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT   LIFE 

I  cannot  begin  to  tell  you  all  the  people  I  saw 
that  I  knew.  The  Princess  d'Antuni  looked  par- 
ticularly handsome,  wearing  her  wonderful  tiara  of 
pearls.  The  beautiful  Princess  Viggiano  had  a  box 
just  above  me,  and  looked  distinguished  and  elegant, 
as  she  always  does.  H.  E.  Mme.  Ohyama,  the  Jap- 
anese Ambassadress,  wore  some  very  fine  jewels,  and 
was  in  a  white  gown  of  the  latest  Paris  fashion.  The 
Marchesa  Casati  had  on  her  wonderful  pearls,  as  did 
the  Duchess  Visconti  di  Modrone — in  fact,  everybody 
seemed  to  be  looking  their  best.  The  Countess 
Liitzow  with  her  lovely  white  hair  and  beautiful 
figure  made  me  think  of  my  dear  mother. 

As  I  came  out  from  our  box  on  the  arm  of  the 
Col.  Marchese  Beccaria  Incisa,  many  people  made 
way  for  us  to  pass,  as  he  is  a  very  distinguished  officer 
and  a  member  of  a  famous  family,  a  brother  of  the 
Rudini.  F.  B.  gave  his  arm  to  the  Marchesa,  of 
course,  and  with  very  little  trouble,  thanks  to  the 
prompt  action  of  the  footman  of  the  Colonel,  we 
found  our  carriage  and  drove  away  home. 

It  was  a  delightful  evening,  and  we  were  so  glad  to 
have  had  the  Marchese  and  Marchesa  Incisa  with  us 
in  our  box.  The  people  that  we  did  not  know,  they 
did,  and  they  told  us  all  about  everything  and  every- 
body.    The   Marchesa  looked  exceedingly  well  in 

[366] 


mmm 


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V  tnin 


t> 


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OP  THE 

VERSITY 

OF 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

black  satin  with  diamonds  and  pearl  ornaments,  and 
kept  us  all  entertained  throughout  the  evening  with 
her  bright  and  jolly  ways. 

The  Marchesa  di  Rudini  surely  ought  to  feel 
highly  gratified  at  the  complete  success  of  her  under- 
taking. I  have  been  in  amateur  theatricals  so  much 
myself,  that  I  know  the  immense  amount  of  work 
that  a  great  production  of  this  kind  means.  But 
then  the  Marchesa  is  an  unusually  clever  woman; 
knows  just  what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it.  She  is 
also  very  rich,  and  devotes  endless  time  and  money 
to  the  charity  organizations  in  which  she  is  interested. 
The  Marchese,  her  husband,  has  been  decorated 
by  His  Majesty  with  the  Collar  of  the  Annun- 
ciation (Collana  dell'  Annunziata),  the  greatest 
honor  anyone  can  receive  in  Italy,  and  those  who 
obtain  it  rank  as  cousins  of  the  King.  Since  151 8, 
this  order,  called  the  Ordine  Supremo  dell*  Annun- 
ziata, has  been  the  highest  order  of  knighthood  of 
the  Ducal  House  of  Savoy,  now  the  Royal  House 
of  Italy.  It  is  said  to  have  been  originally  founded 
by  Amadeus  VI  of  Savoy  in  1362,  and  was  called 
then  the  Order  of  the  Collar  of  Savoy,  but  some  au- 
thorities consider  that  its  origin  is  much  older.  The 
medal  of  the  order  bears  the  representation  of  the 
Annunciation,  while  the  collar  is  decorated  with  al- 

[367] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ternate  gold  knots  and  enameled  roses.  The  latter 
bear  the  letters  F.  E.  R.  T.,  thus  making  the  Latin 
word  Fert  (He  bears),  an  ancient  motto  of  the  House 
of  Savoy.  Again  authorities  differ  as  to  this  inter- 
pretation. The  King  is  always  the  Grand  Master  of 
the  order.  The  knights  since  1720  are  not  limited 
in  number,  but  they  must  be  of  high  rank,  and  al- 
ready admitted  to  the  orders  of  St.  Mauritius  and 
St.  Lazarus;  and  there  is  only  one  class  of  knights. 
The  decoration  is  usually  worn  suspended  by  a  gold 
chain,  without  the  collar  that  I  have  just  described, 
and  since  i860  the  knights  wear  on  the  left  breast 
a  star  embroidered  in  gold.  The  four  officers  of  the 
order  are  the  Chancellor  (always  a  bishop  or  arch- 
bishop), the  Secretary  (usually  the  Minister  of  For- 
eign Affairs),  the  Almoner  (usually  the  King's  first 
almoner),  and  the  Treasurer.  These  officers  wear 
the  decoration  around  the  neck,  suspended  by  a  sky- 
blue  ribbon,  accompanied  by  the  star  on  the  left  breast. 
The  Marchesa  might  properly  be  described  as  the 
most  up-to-date  woman  in  Rome.  Always  faultlessly 
dressed  in  the  latest  Parisian  fashion,  her  turn-outs  are 
likewise  of  the  finest,  and  she  has  adopted  the  fast- 
growing  custom  among  the  wealthy  Romans,  of  hav- 
ing a  beautiful  villa  in  the  new  part  of  Rome,  instead 
of  living  in  a  part  of  one  of  the  old-time  palaces. 

[368] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

You  see,  these  old  palaces  are  so  vast,  that  they 
are  rarely  occupied  by  one  family  alone.  In  the 
olden  days  the  palace  was  built  by  the  head  of  the 
house,  who  occupied  the  first  floor;  his  eldest  son 
took  possession  of  the  second,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
marriage;  and  the  third  floor  was  given  over  to  an- 
other son  or  daughter,  as  the  case  might  be.  But 
this  fashion,  as  I  said,  is  gradually  passing  out,  and 
the  Romans  have  taken  the  word  villa  for  what  in 
many  cases  might  properly  be  still  called  a  palazzo, 
although  these  villas  are  not  nearly  as  large  as  the 
great  old  palaces  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

The  Marchesa  invited  me  to  call  on  her,  and 
appointed  a  special  time,  in  order  that  we  might  see 
something  of  each  other,  for  as  she  said  quite  truly, 
"  When  one  receives  formally,  one  really  does  not 
see  anybody  at  all."  As  she  is  a  very  busy  woman,  I 
thought  she  was  very  kind  to  make  this  arrangement, 
and  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  my  visit  with  her.  She 
speaks  English  very  well,  and  is  quite  as  up-to-date 
in  her  American  expressions,  as  she  is  in  everything 
else.  She  received  us  in  a  fascinating  gown  of  white 
cloth,  trimmed  with  rare  old  oriental  embroideries, 
and  her  house  was  as  aufait  and  cosmopolitan  as  her- 
self. Kipling  has  said,  "  Men  and  women  may 
sometimes  after  great  effort  achieve  a  creditable  lie, 

[369] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

but  the  house  which  is  their  temple  cannot  say  any- 
thing save  the  truth  of  those  who  have  lived  in  it." 
Everything  in  this  lovely  house,  furnished  with  great 
elegance  and  taste,  speaks  of  the  personality  of  the 
Marchesa  herself. 

She  asked  me  if  I  would  sing  for  her  the  day  that 
she  celebrates  as  her  fete-day  (birthdays  don't  count 
over  here,  and  as  all  Roman  Catholics  are  named  for 
some  saint  in  the  Holy  Calendar,  the  annual  holiday 
is  celebrated  on  the  day  of  the  Saint  for  whom  one  is 
named) .  I  was  only  too  glad  to  be  able  in  some  way 
to  return  her  charming  courtesies  to  me.  Several 
people  had  told  me  that  they  had  never  heard  a 
voice  and  a  flute  together  (you  see  there  are  so 
few  high  voices  in  Italy),  so  it  occurred  to  me 
that  it  would  be  something  quite  new  (and  that  is 
what  the  Marchesa  likes)  to  sing  one  of  my  songs 
with  a  flute  obligato.  Accordingly,  I  rehearsed  with 
Professor  Settacciolli,  professor  of  the  flute  at  the 
Academy  of  St.  Cecilia,  and  I  was  very  glad,  for  the 
song  went  off  finely  and  every  one  seemed  surprised 
and  delighted.  One  lady,  who  was  in  a  room  open- 
ing out  of  the  music-room,  said  to  me,  "  But 
Madame,  I  could  not  tell  if  it  was  the  flute  or  if  it 
was  the  voice  that  I  heard.** 

No  debutante  at   home   ever  received  more  gor- 

[370] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

geous  flowers  than  the  Marchesa  on  her  fete-day. 
The  whole  house  was  Hterally  transformed  into  a 
bower,  and  besides,  a  number  of  tables  at  one  end 
of  the  drawing-room  were  quite  covered  with  dainty 
and  costly  gifts  from  her  numerous,  admiring  friends. 
The  Marchesa  Cappelli,  who  does  such  beautiful 
needle-work,  had  embroidered  an  exquisite  pillow 
for  the  Marchesa,  to  whom  she  is  most  devoted. 
There  were  also  fans,  dainty  bits  of  jewelry,  odd  bits 
of  old  silver,  and  in  fact,  all  sorts  of  pretty  things. 
But  the  Marchesa's  popularity  is  richly  deserved,  for 
she  is  really  one  of  the  most  charming  women  I  have 
ever  met,  as  well  as  one  of  the  cleverest.  I  was  sipping 
a  cup  of  tea,  with  the  beautiful  Princess  Viggiano 
who  was  wearing  her  order  of  the  palace,  a  large 
monogram,  E.  V.  (Elena,  Victor  Emmanuel)  in  dia- 
monds, as  she  had  been  assisting  the  Queen  at  a  small 
reception  at  the  palace,  when  Bustini,  who  had 
played  my  accompaniments,  came  and  said  that 
everyone  wanted  me  to  sing  once  more.  I  had 
finished  singing,  as  I  thought,  but  I  returned  to  the 
piano  and  sang  Gounod's  little  serenade  with  the  flute 
accompaniment.  People  are  so  perfectly  charming 
here,  and  have  such  a  pretty  way  of  thanking  you 
for  doing  things  they  ask,  that  you  can  refuse  them 
nothing. 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

During  the  afternoon,  all  fashionable  Rome  paid 
homage  to  the  Marchesa,  and  came  to  wish  her  well 
for  another  year.  Just  as  we  were  going  out,  I  saw 
Countess  Bruschi  for  a  moment.  She  was  wearing 
my  pet  shade  of  pinkish  lilac,  and  I  never  saw  her 
look  more  lovely.  She,  too,  had  been  in  attendance 
on  Her  Majesty,  and  wore  her  diamond  order,  like 
that  of  the  Princess  Viggiano. 

An  awful  thunder-storm  came  up  just  as  everyone 
was  leaving,  but  instead  of  spoiling  the  gayety  of  the 
afternoon,  the  clever  Marchesa  became  more  ani- 
mated than  ever,  passed  from  room  to  room  greeting 
her  various  guests  with  an  appropriate  word  for  each, 
so  that  everybody  forgot  the  shower,  and  the  fact 
that  they  had  intended  to  go  home. 

Although  the  Marchesa  is  distinctly  White  in  her 
politics,  her  popularity  extends  to  the  Vatican,  for  I 
exchanged  greetings  with  Cardinal  Mathieu  to-day. 
I  think  I  wrote  you  about  being  presented  to  him  at 
the  Marchesa  Cappelli's  a  short  time  ago.  He  wore, 
as  he  did  the  other  day,  the  deep  purple  soutane^ 
with  small  red  buttons  down  the  front  and  the  red 
berretta  on  his  head.  Of  course,  he  formed  the 
centre  of  the  group  of  people  who  were  anxious  to 
meet  him.  When  a  reception  is  given  in  the  even- 
ing to  which  cardinals  have  been  invited,  no  one  is 

[372] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

allowed  to  come  in  a  decollete  gown,  and  no  prelate 
must  on  any  account  be  present  in  a  room  with 
dancing.  On  presentation,  one  is  expected  to  make 
a  slight  reverence,  and  if  His  Eminence  extends  his 
hand,  you  are  expected  to  kiss  the  great  ring  on  his 
right  hand,  after  the  manner  of  His  Holiness,  the 
Pope. 

The  Marchesa  has  promised  to  give  me  her 
picture,  so  I  shall  be  able  to  show  you  how  lovely 
she  is  when  I  get  home.  How  many  things  we  shall 
have  to  talk  about. 

I  said  good-bye  to  a  great  many  people  to-day,  for 
we  have  made  up  our  mind  that  we  must  be  moving 
on  to  Paris.  I  am  quite  blue  at  the  thought  of  leav- 
ing this  delightful  place,  where  everyone  has  been  so 
hospitable.  I  never  thought  I  should  be  unhappy  at 
the  thought  of  going  to  Paris,  which  always  seems 
like  home  to  me.  The  Marchesa's  brother,  the 
Col.  Marchese  Incisa  and  his  wife  have  jointly  given 
me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Countess  Simeon 
who  lives  in  Paris,  a  sister  of  the  Colonel  and  of  the 
Marchesa  di  Rudini. 

If  she  is  as  charming  as  the  other  members  of  her 
family,  and  I  have  no  doubt  she  is,  I  shall  surely  en- 
joy making  her  acquaintance. 

It  does  not  seem  as  if  we  should  ever  be  ready  to 

[373] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

leave,  there  are  so  many  last  little  things  to  be  done, 
so  many  good-byes  to  be  said,  and  such  loads  of 
P.  P.  C.  cards  to  be  sent  out.  Everybody  has  been 
so  lovely  that  I  do  not  feel  as  if  I  had  half  thanked 
anybody.  I  cannot  w^rite  more  now,  as  the  trunks 
demand  attention ;  we  have  already  invested  in  an 
extra  one  as  the  accumulation  of  many  months  is 
more  than  one  would  imagine 


[374J 


XLVI 

To  T.  C.  B. 

Rome,  Italy,  April  14,  1905 
My  dear  P.: 

MANY  thanks  for  your  cable  and  pleasant 
birthday  wishes.  I  did  not  realize  that  I 
had  told  anyone  it  was  my  birthday,  but 
by  eleven  o'clock  this  morning  my  rooms  were  a 
bower  of  flowers  from  my  Italian  friends;  many  of  the 
flowers  came  in  exquisite  vases  which  were,  in  them- 
selves, very  dainty  gifts. 

This  afternoon  F.  B.  and  I  went  for  a  long  drive 
to  Montemario,  and  this  evening  the  Marchesa 
Monaldi  gave  a  charming  dinner  for  me.  Prof,  and 
Mme.  Sgambati,  Count  San  Martino,  Baron  Mor- 
purgo  and  others  were  there.  The  dinner  was  very 
pleasant,  and  afterwards  a  clever  young  Italian  gave 
some  amusing  recitations  in  the  different  dialects  of 
Italy;  altogether  it  has  been  a  delightful  day, 
and  I  think  the  Marchesa  was  very  kind  to  entertain 
so  charmingly  in  my  honor. 

I   forgot   whether   I   wrote   you  that  she  had  a 

[375] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

musicale  a  few  days  ago  at  which  I  sang,  where  Prof. 
Sgambati  played  my  accompaniments  for    his  songs. 

I  presume  we  shall  see  the  Monaldi  in  England 
later,  for  she  and  the  Marchese  are  going  up  to 
London  for  the  season  in  June.  She  is  a  very  attrac- 
tive Englishwoman,  and  devoted  to  London,  of 
course. 

I  was  glad  to  meet  Count  San  Martino  at  dinner 
to-night,  as  he  is  such  a  very  busy  man  one  can 
almost  never  secure  him,  for  he  is  so  prominent  in 
the  municipal  government,  being  President  of  the 
Consiglio  Communale,  at  the  head  of  so  many 
important  societies, — the  Belle  Arti,  St.  Cecilia 
Orchestral  Society,  and  many  others,  that  his  time  is 
often  not  his  own.  He  is  a  man  of  great  wealth 
and  culture,  and  does  a  great  deal  for  Rome  in  many 
ways.  Belonging  as  he  does  to  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  families,  his  social  demands  are  also 
great,  but  the  busiest  people  are  those  who  always 
know  how  to  arrange  their  time  systematically,  and 
one  might  say  that  Count  San  Martino  performs 
"  prodigies  of  valor**  with  the  twenty-four  hours  of 
each  day.  We  had  a  nice  musical  talk  about  some 
of  my  music  which  the  Count  and  I  went  over 
together  the  other  evening  when  he  came  to  call, 
but  in  the  midst  a  telephone  call  demanded  that  he 

[376] 


COPtHtOHT.     1>J«,    8Y    "jlVPMOS*   ftATtP    9*: 


^;X;^--^^=^^^*^*^> 


;re    going    up    to 


rour 

I 

to-nijrht,    :^^  ^^   one 

1,.  t  in 


IT 


J 

disti 


COUNT  SAN  MARTINO 


erforms 


(^me 


e    Count    and  1 

t  , 

c  otht.             ng  when  he  came 

but 

ii>t  a  telephone  call  demand 

[376I 

GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

come  to  some  unexpected  municipal  meeting,  so  he 
bade  all  a  hasty  good  evening  and  was  off. 

That 's  what  it  is  for  a  man  to  be  brilliant,  rich 
and  influential — he  never  can  call  an  hour  his  own. 

It  is  very  late  and  I  must  not  write  more. 


[377] 


XLVII 

To  E.  F.  D.  B. 

Continental  Hotel, 

Milan,  Italy,  April  20,  1905 
My  dear  M,: 

YOU  will  indeed  be  surprised  to  get  a  letter 
from  here,  but  we  are  only  too  thankful  to 
reach  this  hotel  this  morning  after  a  most 
exciting  and  uncomfortable  journey  from  Rome. 
Indeed  it  was  quite  uncertain  whether  we  could  get 
here  at  all,  as  a  railway  strike  is  becoming  general 
throughout  Italy.  The  trains  are  being  run  by  gov- 
ernment officers  and  have  to  be  protected  all  along 
the  line  with  soldiers,  as  the  strikers  are  anything 
but  peaceful  in  their  attitude.  The  train-de-luxe, 
on  which  we  had  engaged  our  sleeping  compart- 
ment, did  not  go  at  all,  so  we  were  obliged  to  take 
any  train  we  could  get.  You  would  have  laughed, 
at  the  station  at  Rome,  to  see  the  gold-laced  hotel 
porters  handling  all  the  baggage  and  putting  it  on 
the  train;  but  they  were  really  very  nice  about  it,  and 
considering  that  they  were  not  at  all  used  to  the  busi- 
ness of  weighing  trunks,  etc.,   they  did  very  well. 

[378] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Soldiers  were  everywhere  in  the  station,  and,  while 
the  poor  porters  were  struggling  with  the  trunks,  the 
strikers  had  taken  possession  of  the  station  restaurant 
and  were  feasting  in  high  glee. 

Try  as  we  might,  we  could  only  secure  seats  in  a 
second-class  compartment,  but  as  there  were  already 
in  it  only  a  quiet  Italian  professor  and  another  man, 
who  said  he  should  leave  the  train  at  Florence,  we 
did  not  complain. 

R.  and  his  mother  rushed  down  to  the  station  at 
the  last  moment,  having  been  first  to  the  hotel;  they 
did  not  think  that  we  should  brave  the  strikers  and 
get  away,  but  our  trunks  were  packed  and  all  our 
plans  made  to  be  in  Paris  for  Easter,  so  we  decided 
to  go  in  spite  of  everything.  We  foresaw  difficul- 
ties, and  F.  B.  had  a  generous  lunch  prepared  for  us 
by  the  hotel  people  in  Rome.  The  last  good-byes 
were  very  hard  to  say,  particularly  to  R.  and  his  dear 
mother,  who  have  been  so  kind  to  us  in  many  ways, 
and  have  done  so  much  to  make  our  stay  in  Rome 
pleasant. 

The  train  was  guarded  and  all  along  the  road  at 
bridges  and  entrances  of  tunnels,  soldiers  were  sta- 
tioned at  close  intervals ;  it  was  really  quite  exciting. 
As  we  came  in  sight  of  Florence,  I  recalled  all  of 
our  many  happy  days  there  together.      How  we  did 

[379] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

enjoy  the  galleries  and  the  wonderful  paintings  of 
Fra  Angelico !  What  lovely  drives  we  used  to  take 
out  into  the  country  to  the  surrounding  villas,  and 
do  you  remember  how  much  we  enjoyed  going  to 
Fiesole,  and  the  Medici  chapel  ?  What  a  wonderful 
place  it  is,  and  what  a  wonderful  people  those  Me- 
dici were !  Not  one  of  the  family  is  living  to-day, 
but  they  will  never  be  forgotten  and  they  did  not  in- 
tend to  be.  Those  six  pills  of  the  doctor's  (you  re- 
member the  Coat  of  Arms  of  the  Medici  family)  are 
stamped  in  all  parts  of  Italy.  They  were  wonder- 
fully powerful  characters,  nearly  all  of  them,  and 
some  of  them  very  bad ;  but  I  always  feel  a  certain 
sort  of  sympathy  for  Catherine;  she  was  so  badly  used 
and  ill-treated  as  a  young  bride  in  France,  that  it 
seems  to  me  her  later  cruelties  are  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent explained. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  beautiful  views  of  the 
Apennine  Mountains  that  we  saw  by  the  light  of  the 
full  moon  from  the  car  windows,  but  otherwise  the 
night  was  not  unalloyed  joy,  for  at  one  of  the  small 
stations  four  giggling,  gabbling  girls  insisted  upon 
getting  into  our  compartment,  and  Sleep  fled  at  once 
out  of  the  window. 

However,  here  we  are  quite  comfortable  in  this  nice 
hotel,  where  we  have  been  so  often.     Soap  and  water 

[380] 


ITA!. 


o 

..:  inio  tut:  1.  '    I' 

ii  remctii   c.  <   how  m 
i'icbo'        ■  '  the  Medici  • 
place  ic  x;,  uad  v  '^-'■ 
dici  were!      No 
but  they  will  nr 
tend  to  be.     Ths>> 
Ser  the  ''^     ' 

^nipcd  t  h 

■    •'  c 

O 
oi 

a: 

O 

OQ 

'■•'■■  < 

as 

O 
a: 
o 

2 

■-A 

H 


A  per. 


out  c; 

How- 

hotel,  wnei 


6"'"'& 

V  ' 

,  ,»».  ^  wonderful 

*  *»-' 

/^M>T*^       tl^fWf*       \Tr-„ 

2 

OQ 

,•  A\A 

-r" 

o 

C/5 

'  •■\   ir^ 

«all 


-^^"^ 

==M 

--3 

-*. 

^ 

n^H 

..JN 

mmB^^B^ 

iW 

^^r«'/y^:^^      -  -  \i 

R 

^  "^.-i 
^  _;\-i 

^^5gqBB! 

gprTr-^*^i-g^M|H 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^K§'f^' 

--Tf^ 

W^4^mmm 

ui 

1^.^  IPlil 

o 

":wiKHa 

^^^^"  -^j^5SP 

•"^[^^^ 

^.^ 

ggfl 

l|BLtf|B^^|^wy^^H| 

ii 

li^'^i^'':' 

" 

..   ^       ■;..-=;  /tt-^^ 

►- 

r^ 

4 

gr  <vB 

^ 

^ 

ii 

■fe  MKM^ 

Of 


^'roRNi^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  a  good  cup  of  coffee  have  refreshed  us,  and  we 
are  going  over  to  the  cathedral  presently  to  see  and 
hear  the  great  Holy  Thursday  ceremonies,  conducted 
by  H.  E.  Cardinal  Charles  Andrea  Ferrara. 

Later. 
We  are  really  fortunate  to  have  been  here  to-day ; 
the  ceremony  was  magnificent,  and  the  Cardinal 
most  gorgeous  in  his  white  and  gold  robes.  His 
jeweled  hat,  mitre  and  all  the  gold  plate  of  the  rich 
treasury  of  this  wonderful  cathedral  was  in  use  to- 
day. There  was  a  very  elaborate  ceremony,  in  which 
a  great  many  priests  took  part.  The  choir  sang 
beautifully,  and  there  was  one  very  high  soprano 
voice  like  the  Pope's  angel.  After  the  ceremonies  at 
the  high  altar,  which  seemed  to  me  very  complicated, 
the  Cardinal  went  to  the  side  altar  of  San  Giovanni, 
accompanied  by  the  priests,  and  the  ceremony  of 
washing  his  feet  in  oil  took  place.  There  was  such 
a  crowd  that  we  could  not  see  very  distinctly,  but  the 
music  was  fine.  Before  leaving  the  cathedral,  we 
went  into  the  subterranean  chapel  to  see  the  tomb 
of  St.  Carlo  Borromeo,  the  patron  saint  of  the  cathe- 
dral. There  lies  the  skeleton  decked  out  in  all  his 
robes  and  jewels — really  a  most  uncanny  sight.  Did 
you  remember  that  there  are  fifty-two  columns  in 
the  cathedral  for  the  fifty-two  Sundays  in  the  year? 

[3«0 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

I  had  forgotten.  In  one  of  the  chapels  we  saw  the 
old  wooden  crucifix  which  St.  Carlo  Borromeo  car- 
ried when  he  went  about  bare-footed  on  his  errands 
of  mercy  during  the  plague. 

We  are  sorry  that  we  have  not  time  to  stay  a  few 
days  in  the  lake  country,  which  must  be  delightful 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  especially  Lago  Maggiore.  I 
think  the  Isola  Bella  is  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  on 
earth,  with  its  gardens  and  terraces  abounding  in 
flowers,  and  its  wonderful  old  castle  with  the  wee  little 
village  that  clusters  around  it.  It  all  belongs  to  the 
Borromeo  family,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
names  in  Northern  Italy.  The  other  Borromeo 
islands,  the  Isola  dei  Pescatori  (Fishermen's  Island) 
and  Isola  Madre,  are  also  very  attractive.  The  last 
time  we  were  there  we  stayed  at  Stresa,  quite  near 
the  villa  belonging  to  the  Duchess  of  Genoa,  the 
mother  of  Queen  Margherita,  who  usually  passes  her 
summer  there. 

We  hoped  to  have  time  to  drive  out  from  Milan 
to-day  to  Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie,  which  is  now  a 
cavalry  barrack,  to  see  again  the  "Last  Supper**  of 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  but  we  had  to  give  it  up ;  it  was 
running  too  great  a  risk  to  miss  the  train  for  Paris, 
and  a  cab  horse,  when  you  want  to  hurry,  generally 
falls  down. 

I382] 


u 

CC 


IS 

o 


QQ 

o 


fa] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

After  the  train  left  Milan,  we  passed  along  through 
the  great  St.  Gotthard  tunnel,  and  we  felt  as  if  we 
had  had  a  review  of  our  Italian  lake  trip,  for  the  road 
skirted  the  edge  of  Lake  Como,  where  we  had  such 
a  delightful  time  two  years  ago.  The  Countess 
Taverna  has  a  beautiful  villa  on  the  borders  of  the 
lake;  so  has  the  Duchess  Melzi  d'Eril,  whose  picture, 
I  wrote  you,  so  much  resembled  you.  I  told  you,  I 
am  sure,  about  meeting  her  charming  daughter,  the 
Countess  Zaccaria.  We  had  splendid  views  of  Lake 
Lugano  also,  and  the  train  passes  over  a  causeway 
built  directly  across  the  lake.  Do  you  remember 
what  fun  we  had  going  up  in  \Sit,  funicular e  to  Mount 
San  Salvatore?  And  then  the  Alps !  How  magnifi- 
cent they  are,  their  wonderful  snow-peaks  reaching 
almost  beyond  belief  into  the  blue  sky ! 

We  were  quite  comfortable  in  a  fine  observation 
car,  and  Nature  gave  us  her  most  wonderful  cine- 
matograph exhibition.  Many  people  left  the  train  at 
Lucerne,  and  I  was  glad  to  see  the  beautiful  lake 
once  more. 

I  can  hardly  realize  that  we  have  left  Rome  be- 
hind us,  it  has  been  such  a  delightful  winter;  we 
have  met  a  great  many  charming  people,  and  have 
seen  a  great  many  interesting  things,  but  I  always 
think  of  the  story  that  Sgambati  told  me  of  that  dis- 

[383] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT   LIFE 

tinguished  man,  Thorwaldsen,  who  came  to  Rome, 
and  asked  a  friend  living  there  how  long  it  would 
take  him  to  really  see  Rome?  "Well,"  replied  the 
man,  "I  really  cannot  tell;  you  see,  I  have  only  lived 
here  thirty  years."  People  were  very  kind  when  I 
left,  urging  me  to  come  back  to  Rome,  and  whether 
I  am  able  to  return  or  not,  I  shall  ever  have  with  me 
the  memory  of  my  dear  Italian  friends,  and  their 
many  kindnesses  to  me. 

"  Music,  when  soft  voices  die. 
Vibrates  in  the  memory  ; 
Odors,  when  sweet  violets  sicken. 
Live  within  the  sense  they  quicken  ; 

Rose-leaves,  when  the  rose  is  dead. 
Are  heaped  for  the  beloved's  bed ; 
And  so  thy  thoughts,  when  thou  art  gone. 
Love  itself  shall  slumber  on." 


[384] 


4 


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I  an  have  with  me 

the  mcr^  **  and    their 

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many  kind;  ^ 

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12 

HO 


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O 

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H 


CO 


LXVIII 

Boston,  December,  1905 
My  dear  Princess: 

YOU  asked  me  to  write  you  something  about 
the  conditions  of  the  Italians  who  have  come 
over  to  America,  and  as  I  have  just  spent 
some  days  in  going  about  among  the  settlements  of 
your  country  people  in  my  own  city,  I  am  able  to 
write  you  what  to  me  seem  rather  interesting  facts. 
Dr.  Tosti,  the  Italian  Consul  here  in  Boston,  who  is 
one  of  the  most  scholarly  Italians  in  America,  and 
whose  charming  wife  is  much  liked  here,  has  kindly 
assisted  me  in  obtaining  my  information ;  he  presented 
to  me  one  of  the  prominent  Italian  priests  herein  Bos- 
ton, Padre  Biasotti,  a  very  intelligent  and  able  man, 
who  devotes  his  life  to  helping  his  fellow  countrymen 
who  travel  far  and  wide  seeking  an  honest  liveli- 
hood. Padre  Biasotti  belongs  to  the  Order  of  San 
Carlo  Borromeo,  which,  as  you  know,  was  founded 
by  Monseigneur  Scalabrini  for  the  purpose  of  aiding 
and  assisting  Italian  emigrants  in  North  and  South 
America. 

In  1 90 1  the  celebrated  Bishop  came  over  to  visit 

[385] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

his  missions  in  America,  and  in  La  Piccola  Italia 
(Little  Italy)  of  Boston,  he  found  great  need  of 
an  Italian  school,  which  could  aid  in  training  the 
children  of  the  people  of  his  fatherland,  who  arrive 
in  America  knowing  nothing  of  the  English  language 
and  next  to  nothing  of  our  laws  and  customs. 

Parochial  schools  there  are  to  be  sure,  to  which 
the  Italian  children  are  admitted,  and  Mon.  Scala- 
brini  paid  a  high  tribute  to  our  excellent  and  efficient 
public  school  system  in  Boston,  but  the  Italians, 
young  and  old  alike,  were  greatly  in  need  of  much 
that  could  not  be  obtained  except  in  a  school  where 
their  own  language  was  spoken. 

To  aid  in  the  success  of  this  really  difficult  under- 
taking, a  number  of  the  Italian  Sisters  of  the  Apos- 
tolic Sisters  of  the  Sacred  Heart  (an  order  founded 
by  Mons.  Scalabrini  for  the  benefit  of  the  Italian 
immigrants  in  North  and  South  America),  come  to 
Boston,  where  they  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the 
Italian  colony. 

To  make  a  long  story  short.  Padre  Biasotti,  with 
wonderful  perseverance  and  ability,  has  succeeded  in 
buying  a  fine  house  in  the  Italian  quarters,  and  has 
established  a  school  where  800  pupils  have  received 
excellent  instruction  during  this  last  year. 

A  so-called  Giardino  d'Infanzia  has  been  one  of 

[386] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  special  benefits  to  the  Italian  colony;  the  poor 
Italian  woman  is  only  too  glad  to  confide  her  little 
ones  to  the  tender  care  of  the  Sisters,  for  she  is  thus 
enabled  to  earn  a  living  or  attend  with  greater  ease 
to  her  household  duties.  During  this  past  year  over 
300  babies,  from  three  to  six  years  old,  have  come 
under  the  care  of  the  holy  women,  who  direct  the 
school.  A  playground  is  arranged  for  out-of-door 
games,  and  a  large  room  provided  where  the  children 
are  kept  amused,  and  almost  unconsciously  they 
learn  the  simple  practices  of  their  Holy  Church,  and 
cleanly  habits  of  daily  life. 

Not  wishing  to  interfere  with  the  excellent  edu- 
cational advantages  offered  by  our  public  schools. 
Padre  Biasotti  opens  his  classes  for  girls  and  boys 
from  six  to  fourteen  years,  only  from  four  to  six  in 
the  afternoon,  after  the  public  schools  are  closed. 

In  those  classes  many  helps  are  offered  to  the 
young  Italians,  and  their  lessons  in  the  public  schools 
are  ably  supplemented  and  explained  by  the  Sisters, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  try  to  make  the  chil- 
dren feel  a  love  for  the  dear  Italy  over  the  seas,  and 
endeavor  to  teach  those  born  in  this  country,  and 
speaking  only  English,  something  of  their  own  beau- 
tiful language. 

If  the  school  in  the  city  has  been  tiring,  there  is 

[387] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

an  out-of-door  as  well  as  an  indoor  gymnasium, 
where  the  children  may  have  healthy  exercise ;  at  an 
evening  school,  the  more  ambitious  are  taught  de- 
signing, sewing  and  even  embroidery,  while  every 
Thursday  afternoon  women  may  come  and  learn  to 
do  their  household  sewing,  the  cloth  necessary  for 
their  wants  being  the  only  expense. 

Not  satisfied  with  all  this,  the  indefatigable  Padre 
has  instituted  a  musical  society  called  San  Giovanni 
Berchmans,  which  numbers  one  hundred  members, 
who  bind  themselves  to  good  conduct  in  their  own 
families,  and  in  the  school  or  work-shops  where  they 
are  employed.  They  have  started  a  band,  bought 
suitable  instruments,  and,  with  astonishing  energy  and 
interest,  have  purchased  very  attractive  uniforms. 
Directed  by  an  Italian  professor,  they  are  now  able 
to  give  excellent  concerts  to  the  rare  pleasure  and 
delight  of  all  the  inhabitants  oiPiccola  Italia.  They 
have  also  given  some  excellent  concerts  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  Italian  charities ;  another  social  society,  San 
Luigi  Gonzaga,  was  formed  with  the  hope  that  the 
young  people  would  come  together,  listen  to  the 
deeds  of  their  own  people,  and  talk  with  one  another 
in  their  own  tongue;  but  the  Italian  brain  is  very 
quick,  and  the  children,  even  those  who  have  been 
in  this  country  but  a  short  time,  are  soon  chattering 

[388] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

fluently  in  English,  and  very  often  the  children  of 
Italian  parents  born  in  this  country  cannot  speak  a 
word  of  Italian. 

However,  Dr.  Tosti  tells  me  that  the  Italian  Gov- 
ernment rather  encourages  those  who  come  here  to 
live,  to  become  Americanized,  and  almost  invariably 
the  Italian  immigrants  make  excellent  citizens. 

For  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  children  of  the 
school  the  mother  tongue  correctly,  a  little  stage  has 
been  built  in  one  of  the  school-rooms,  and  from  time 
to  time  plays  are  given,  to  which  the  parents  of  the 
boys  and  girls  are  invited.  A  good  moral  is  always 
brought  out,  and  at  the  same  time  much  diversion  is 
furnished  to  all  concerned. 

By  an  arrangement  with  the  Public  Library  of  Bos- 
ton, numbers  of  Italian  books  and  papers  are  sent  from 
time  to  time  to  the  school,  and  in  a  large  reading- 
room,  where  200  people  can  be  comfortably  accom- 
modated at  reading-tables,  the  Italians  may  enjoy  the 
literature  of  their  own  land.  If  it  is  impossible  to 
come  to  the  reading-room  the  books  may  be  taken 
home  for  fifteen  days,  and  a  young  Italian  girl  acts 
as  librarian. 

On  the  third  floor  of  the  building  is  a  pretty 
chapel,  which  can  seat  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
persons,  and  here  on  Sundays  the  Sisters  instruct  the 

[389] 


GLIMPSES  OF   ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

members  of  the  school  in  the  mystic  stories  of  their 
Church  and  its  Holy  Faith.  The  Dante  Alighieri 
Society,  composed  of  many  of  the  most  cultured 
women  of  Boston,  has  taken  a  great  deal  of  interest 
in  all  this  work,  and  our  members  have  often  wit- 
nessed the  little  plays  given  by  the  children. 

It  was  during  the  Christmas  holidays  when  Dr. 
Tosti  went  with  us  to  the  school;  the  children  were 
assembled  in  the  hall  to  prepare  for  the  Christmas 
festivals,  and  could  hardly  be  made  to  keep  their  at- 
tention on  the  songs  they  were  learning  to  sing,  so 
great  was  their  interest  in  the  pretty  Christmas  tree 
that  was  gayly  decorated  and  placed  on  the  little 
stage. 

In  honor  of  our  coming  the  rehearsal  was  stopped, 
and  the  children  sang  several  of  the  songs  that  they 
knew  quite  well.  Very  prettily  too,  they  sang,  and 
with  the  ever  charming  enthusiasm  of  their  race. 
Then  two  or  three  of  the  older  girls  recited  some 
Italian  poems  very  nicely  for  us.  Many  of  the  chil- 
dren have  the  dark  brilliant  eyes  of  the  sunny  south, 
but  now  and  then  a  little  blonde  with  very  Anglo- 
Saxon  eyes  told  of  the  intermarriage  with  some 
strain  of  northern  blood. 

We  left  the  eager  faces  of  the  school  rehearsal,  and 
mounted  the  stairs  to  the  top  of  the  building,  where, 

[390] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

to  our  surprise  and  delight,  we  found  a  real  Italian 
terrazza.  Yes,  there  were  the  trellises  for  the  flow- 
ers in  summer,  shading  little  tables  where  of  a  hot 
summer  afternoon,  the  poor  children,  forced  to  stay 
in  the  hot  city,  could  go  and  find  shade,  air  and 
flowers — as  in  their  own  land.  Surely,  Padre  Biasotti 
has  left  no  stone  unturned  to  do  his  uttermost  for  his 
own  people,  and  they  appreciate  it,  for  among  them 
he  has  been  able  to  raise  over  $70,000  (350,000 
lire),  the  sum  necessary  to  make  all  these  advanta- 
geous enterprises  possible. 

After  leaving  the  school  we  went  to  see  the  church. 
"My  church  is  of  wood,  but  my  school  is  of  stone," 
said  the  Padre,  and,  I  thought,  how  wise  and  far-see- 
ing was  his  remark. 

Nevertheless  the  Padre  has  on  hand  a  scheme 
whereby  before  the  next  year  is  over  a  $100,000 
stone  church  in  the  style  of  Venetian  architecture 
will  lift  its  head  proudly  to  the  world,  and  bid  all 
the  Italia  of  Boston  to  worship  at  its  altar.  The 
Padre  is  a  Venetian  and  a  personal  friend  of  Pope 
Pius  X,  who  greatly  admires  his  young  countryman, 
and  has  stood  ready  with  Papal  protection  and  help 
in  many  times  of  need. 

The  Roman  Catholics  in  Boston  are  for  the  most 
part  of  Irish  descent,  and  had  Mons.  Williams  not 

[391] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

been  a  Droad-minded  and  unusually  fine  man,  the 
Italians  might  not  always  have  found  it  easy  to  feel 
at  home  even  in  their  church. 

How^ever,  now  that  there  are  over  50,000  Italians 
in  Boston,  among  whom  is  owned  $2,000,000  of  real 
estate,  they  begin  to  feel  that  they  are  a  part  of  a 
great  city  in  which  they  have  definite  legal  rights 
and  interests,  and  in  which  they  almost  invariably 
make  excellent  citizens. 

The  Padre  told  me  that  he  had  made  a  study  of 
the  Italians  here  in  Boston,  that  he  had  been  to  the 
jails,  prisons,  house  of  correction,  reformatories,  etc., 
etc.,  and  had  found  in  these  institutions  fewer  Italians 
than  any  other  nationality. 

"The  Italians  are  very  moral  people,**  the  Padre 
said,  and  I  believe  this  is  true.  I  know  a  large  con- 
tractor living  near  us  in  the  country,  who  hires  many 
hundred  Italians  to  work  for  him  each  year,  and  I 
was  pleased  when  he  told  me  a  short  time  ago  that 
he  had  never  had  in  his  employ  but  one  bad  Italian. 
"They  are  as  honest,  hard-working  men  as  I  have 
ever  seen,**  he  said. 

In  1 90 1  only  351  Italians  landed  in  Boston,  but 
in  1903,  22,308  came  to  the  land  of  the  Pilgrims. 
The  increase  in  immigration  has  been  enormous,  and 
while  many  of  the  Italians  go  back  home,  to  visit 

[392] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

and  show  to  their  friends  the  success  of  their  efforts, 
they  nearly  always  return  to  America,  and  only  a  few, 
unfavored  by  Fate,  return  disillusioned  from  the  land 
of  the  ** bigga  mon'*  to  remain  on  the  sunny  shores  of 
Bella  Napoli,  where  poverty  is  more  easily  endured. 

A  franc  in  Naples  is  the  practical  equivalent  of  a 
dollar  in  America  among  the  poorer  classes,  so  while 
wages  are  higher  here,  prices  are  accordingly  higher, 
but  the  great  demand  for  unskilled  labor  makes  pro- 
gress in  most  cases  probable  and  profitable. 

Many  of  the  Italians  in  and  about  Boston  have  be- 
come quite  wealthy,  and  one  Italian  is  building  at 
his  own  individual  expense  a  $25,000  church,  which 
shows  unusual  generosity  and  interest,  as  you  will  agree. 

The  great  increase  in  Italian  immigration  has 
necessitated  the  forming  of  a  society  in  Boston  for 
the  protection  of  the  Italian  immigrants ;  most  of  the 
Italians  coming  to  our  shores  are  from  Southern 
Italy,  and  those  coming  to  Boston  come  generally 
from  the  Province  of  Avellino  (30,000),  while  one 
town,  Monte  Muro,  has  sent  over  500  of  its  inhabi- 
tants to  our  shores,  so  completely  has  the  tidal  wave 
of  emigration  swept  Southern  Italy. 

As  might  be  expected,  these  poor  people  arriving 
here,  speaking  only  their  own  dialect,  utterly  igno- 
rant of  our  laws,  language  and  customs,  are  easily  led 

[393I 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

astray,  and  more  easily  cheated,  but  since  the  found- 
ing of  the  Society  of  San  RafFaele,  the  immigrants 
are  properly  aided,  advised  and  protected. 

Many  sad  stories  are  told  by  the  Padre  where  the 
immigration  laws  of  our  land  are  made  to  seem  indeed 
hard  to  bear,  but  the  just  priest  did  not  seem  to 
think  our  laws  unreasonable,  and  indeed  paid  the 
kindest  tribute  to  Commissioner  Col.  Billings,  who, 
he  said,  always  had  the  kindest  interest  in  the  Italians, 
as  well  as  a  keen  lookout  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
law  of  the  land. 

Many  expatriations  are  occasioned  by  the  suspicion 
and  diffidence  of  the  immigrant,  who,  fearing  to  be 
sent  back  across  the  great  ocean,  hastens  to  assure  the 
Commissioner  that  already  he  has  work  assured  him, 
and  with  this  admission  seals  his  own  doom,  since  all 
who  come  under  contract  for  labor  are  strictly  for- 
bidden entrance  to  our  country. 

Sometimes  the  saddest  cases  present  themselves. 
One  instance  is  told  of  a  woman  who  came  to  join 
her  husband,  and  as  he  did  not  appear  on  the  arrival 
of  the  steamer  she  was  detained  until  he  should 
arrive. 

When  the  news  reached  him  that  his  wife  was  and 
would  be  detained  until  he  could  go  to  release  her, 
he  left  a  sick  bed  some  fifty  miles  from  Boston,  and 

[394] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

braved  a  very  stormy  day  to  reach  the  place  where 
she  was  detained  by  Government  officials.  Hardly 
had  he  reached  the  Detention  Office,  before  he  was 
taken  seriously  ill;  the  doctors  pronounced  his  case 
pneumonia,  and  ordered  him  to  a  hospital,  where  a 
few  days  later  he  died.  A  priest  of  the  Society  of 
San  Raffaele  obtained  permission  of  the  Commis- 
sioner, for  the  poor  wife  to  be  allowed  to  be  with 
her  dying  husband,  and  later  for  her  to  attend  his 
fiineral.  Black  were  the  poor  woman's  prospects, 
alone  and  in  a  strange  land,  with  two  small  children. 
All  her  little  property  in  Italy  had  been  sold,  in 
order  that  she  might  join  her  husband,  and  now  it 
seemed  that  she  must  be  sent  back.  At  this  critical 
time  the  society  intervened,  sent  a  special  request  to 
Washington  in  her  behalf,  and  through  the  gene- 
rosity of  friends,  the  woman  was  allowed  to  go  to 
relatives  in  the  city  of  Providence,  who  offered  her  a 
home  and  support  for  her  immediate  needs. 

When  a  young  girl  comes  to  join  her  lover,  she  is 
only  allowed  to  land  after  the  marriage  ceremony  is 
performed  by  a  priest,  in  the  presence  of  the  Gov- 
ernment Commissioner;  but  Padre  Biasotti  has  ob- 
tained leave  to  perform  these  ceremonies  in  his  little 
v/ooden  church  of  which  I  spoke. 

I  cannot  explain  to  you  in  far-off  Italy  the  im- 

[395] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

pression  I  received  as  I  entered  this  church.  I  found 
myself  confronted  with  the  strangest  inconsistencies 
and  wide-spread  contrasts.  There  I  stood  in  the  old 
Puritan  meeting-house  (in  North  Square  opposite  the 
house  of  Paul  Revere),  the  Sailors*  Mission  Church 
of  the  Colonial  days,  with  its  high-back  pews,  its 
straight,  stiff  gallery — where  at  the  back  was  the  or- 
gan, from  which  one  seemed  to  hear  "Rock  of  Ages" 
pealing  forth;  and  then — as  I  turned  to  see  the  old 
high  pulpit,  the  brilliancy  of  a  gorgeously  lighted 
Roman  Catholic  altar  in  all  its  holy  Christmas  dec- 
orations greeted  my  amazed  and  blinded  eyes.  And 
yet  we  were  not  so  different  at  heart,  we  Puritans,  after 
all.  Massachusetts  has  always  stood  for  the  rights  of 
every  man;  Massachusetts  gave  birth  to  Samuel 
Adams — and  Samuel  Adams  would  have  welcomed 
warmly  the  children  of  the  land  of  Cavour,  who  re- 
sembles our  severe  Puritan  statesman  in  more  ways 
than  one. 

We  afterward  went  to  see  the  Franciscan  Church, 
where  a  Franciscan  monk  showed  us  all  about,  and 
then  we  drove  out  to  see  the  new  hospital  which  the 
Padre  told  us  he  should  be  pleased  to  show  us. 

We  were  glad  to  go  and  see  what  a  fine  place  the 
kind  Sisters  have  established  for  caring  for  the  sick 
and  suiFering  Italians,  though  I  believe  the  hospital 

[396] 


MRS.  JULIA  WARD  HOWE 


liici  ^^ac  -Uii  : 


COPYRIGHT,    1906,   BY   TRYPHOS*  BATES    BATCHELLER 


c^ 


CTL. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 
•l^'FOBT**^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

treats  all  sufferers,  regardless  of  nationality.  High 
up  on  a  hill  in  East  Boston,  where  the  best  of  fresh 
air  is  to  be  had,  Padre  Biasotti  has  provided  this  hos- 
pital, and  in  so  doing  has  added  another  laurel  to  his 
crown  of  good  works. 

One  of  the  first  friends  of  the  Italian  immigrant  in 
Boston  was  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Ho  we,  who  is  the  Honorary 
President  of  our  Dante  Alighieri  Society.  Mrs. 
Howe  has  been  much  in  Italy,  and  her  nephew, 
Marion  Crawford,  has,  as  you  know,  lived  most  of 
his  life  in  your  country. 

Many  years  ago,  when  Mrs.  Howe  was  in  Italy, 
the  country  was  smarting  under  Austrian  rule,  and 
the  dear  woman's  sympathies  were  greatly  aroused 
for  the  people  and  the  land  she  loves  so  well.  Many 
sweet  poems  from  her  pen  had  Italy  for  their  subject, 
and  on  the  publication  of  a  book  of  these  poems, 
Mrs.  Howe  sent  the  volume  to  Massimo  d'Azeglio, 
one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  early  Italian  patriots,  to 
whom  Charles  Albert  of  Savoy  pledged  his  life,  the 
lives  of  his  sons,  indeed  his  all,  for  the  cause  of  Uni- 
ted Italy.  D'Azeglio  showed  much  appreciation  of 
the  poet's  charm,  and  begged  the  dear  lady  to  inter- 
est herself  in  the  protection  of  his  countrymen,  who 
went  across  the  seas  to  seek  a  living  and  a  new 
home,  in  what  then  seemed  to  Italians  and  indeed 

[397] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

many    Europeans    at    that    time,    the    end    of    the 
world. 

Mrs.  Howe  was  prompt  to  reply  in  word  and 
deed,  and  has  ever  been  the  firm  friend  of  Italy.  No 
Italian  who  has  been  greeted  by  her,  or  who  has 
had  the  rare  pleasure  of  speaking  his  own  tongue 
with  the  woman  we  like  to  call  the  "Queen  of 
America,"  is  likely  to  forget  his  American  friend. 

Mrs.  Howe,  as  you  doubtless  know,  has  done  as 
much,  if  not  more,  than  any  woman  in  our  country 
for  the  cause  of  woman.  She  has  spoken  to  cultured 
societies  of  women  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land,  preaching  the  uplifting  of  the  standard  of  re- 
sponsibilities of  woman's  life  to  a  level  with  those  of 
man.  A  daughter  of  one  of  the  aristocratic  fami- 
lies of  New  York,  she  has  been  most  ardent  in 
her  endeavors  to  speak  for  the  rights  of  women,  and 
in  her  own  life  and  personality  has  given  the  best 
possible  argument  in  favor  of  her  principles. 

In  her  salon  are  received  the  distinguished  of  all 
lands,  who  come  to  us  in  Boston,  and  I  have  heard 
her  converse  freely  in  several  languages  to  different 
foreign  guests  during  an  afternoon,  which  is  not 
unusual  in  a  younger  woman,  but  in  a  hostess  who 
wears  her  eighty-seven  years  as  gracefully  as  does  Mrs. 
Howe,  it  is  a  delight  to  behold.      I  speak  thus  enthusi- 

[398] 


cans    at    that    time,    ihc    aW. 


Mrs.  Howe  was  promi 
aid  has  ever  been  tl 
italKin  w' 

had   the  rare  plca»« 
with   the   worn; 
America, 

Mrs.  Hov 
much,  if 
for  the  cauji? 
so* 


rgument 


a: 

Hi 

< 


X 


^z 


V3 

ai 

O 

h 

O 
O 

o 

06 

z 

z 

Q 
Z 

< 

z 

Q 

< 


O 

h 

o 

h 
< 

U 

< 

< 


u     tOiigUC 

tlic   "  Queen  of 


iiieii,  and 


gracefully  as  dues  Mrt>. 
behold.      I  speak  thus  enthusi 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

astically,  for  Mrs.  Howe  has  been  one  of  the  dearest 
friends  of  my  life,  and  calls  me  her  Nightingale,  a 
title  I  am  very  happy  to  bear.  She  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  our  Dante  Society,  and  generally 
entertains  our  Circolo  at  her  house  once  during  each 
season. 

Another  admirer  of  Italy  in  Boston  is  Mrs.  John. 
L.  Gardner,  who  has  built  herself  a  real  Italian  pal- 
ace, in  which  are  hung  some  of  your  famous  Italian 
masterpieces,  bought  at  various  times  by  Mrs.  Gard- 
ner in  Italy,  where  she  has  spent  much  of  her  time. 

Were  you  to  step  into  the  court  yard  of  Mrs. 
Gardner's  home,  you  would  say,  "Yes,  this  is  like 
Italy,"  and  as  you  went  through  one  beautiful  room 
after  another  you  would  end  by  feeling  that  the 
dream  had  come  true,  and  that  sure  enough  it  was 
Italy. 

I  have  enjoyed  going  about  the  palace  with  the 
hostess  and  seeing  all  these  Italian  treasures,  and  if 
they  must  be  out  of  Italy,  you  can  feel  that  they  are 
in  a  most  fitting  place,  where  they  receive  their  due 
homage  and  appreciation. 


[399] 


LIX 

New  York,  February,  1906 
My  dear  Princess: 

YOU  will  have  received  my  letter  in  regard 
to  the  Italians  in  Boston,  and  now  that  I 
find  myself  in  New  York  for  a  time,  where 
I  am  overseeing  the  publishing  of  my  book,  I  think 
you  may  be  interested  in  hearing  about  the  Italians 
here,  for  we  have  almost  as  many  of  your  countrymen 
in  New  York  as  you  have  in  Rome,  over  400,000, 
and  very  successful  most  of  them  have  been,  too. 

One  hears  a  good  deal  of  talk  about  the  Italian 
immigration  and  its  probable  restriction,  but  believe 
me,  though  we  Americans  have  a  thoughtless  and, 
sometimes,  undiplomatic  way  of  thinking  out  loud 
we  do  not  mean  to  be  unkind.  Most  of  us  welcome 
gladly  your  country  people  to  our  shores,  and  while 
the  tide  of  immigration  has  become  so  extensive  as 
to  occasion  new  and  difficult  problems,  which  must 
be  studied  and  gradually  solved,  my  people  will  not 
hesitate  to  meet  these  difficulties  with  the  same  spirit 
of  courage  and  firm  reliance  on  the  rights  of  man 
that  has  made  us  the  nation  that  we  are. 

[400] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Indeed,  I  think  that  most  of  our  people  feel  that 
the  Italians  who  come  to  us  are  a  distinct  advantage 
to  our  land,  and  I  quote  from  a  well-known  manu- 
facturer of  Rhode  Island : 

"  Notwithstanding  our  laws  on  the  subject  of 
immigration,  they  are  excellently  framed  and  effec- 
tively carried  out,"  said  Mr.  Fletcher;  "they,  how- 
ever, fall  short  of  accomplishing  the  full  purpose, 
and  what  is  needed  more  perhaps  than  anything  else 
is  a  law  that  will  reach  the  runners  of  the  steamship 
agents  in  the  pauper  districts  of  the  European  coun- 
tries. These  agents,  by  making  false  representations, 
are  responsible  for  the  large  numbers  which  are 
turned  back  at  Ellis  Island,  and  have  to  be  trans- 
ported again  to  their  starting  point. 

"Any  law  of  an  international  character  which 
would  remedy  this  feature  would  meet  with  the  sup- 
port of  any  enlightened  nation,  and  the  difficulties  of 
discrimination  between  those  who  are  and  those  who 
are  not  desirable  would  be  largely  disposed  of. 

"Another,  and  almost  as  great  an  evil  of  the  pres- 
ent immigration  system,  is  the  fact  that  there  is  no 
law  or  no  method  by  which  the  distribution  of  im- 
migrants can  be  successfully  and  intelligently  regu- 
lated. The  tendency  of  these  people  is  to  concen- 
trate in  large  cities.     In  many  cases  they  have  not 

[401] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

the  means,  even  though  they  may  have  the  desire,  to 
go  to  other  parts  of  the  country  where  their  services 
can  be  utilized.  In  many  sections,  particularly  in 
the  South,  there  is  great  need  of  additions  to  the 
intelligent  working  class,  and  if  many  of  our  immi- 
grants could  be  informed  of  this,  and  if  some  means 
could  be  devised  to  transport  them  to  the  interior, 
the  question  would  be  solved,  and  immigration  would 
become  a  greater  benefit. 

"Take  my  own  State  of  Rhode  Island,  for  in- 
stance," continued  Mr.  Fletcher.  "Its  population, 
according  to  the  last  census,  was  380,000,  forty-two 
per  cent,  of  which  were  foreign-born.  Yet  favored 
as  we  are  with  this  large  percentage  of  new  blood, 
our  manufacturing  establishments  are  to-day  short  of 
help.  Perhaps  one  reason  for  this  is  the  fact  that 
the  children  of  immigrants  rarely  continue  in  the 
same  class  of  work  that  their  parents  took  up  upon 
their  arrival.  American  conditions  give  them  the 
desire  to  step  up  in  the  social  scale,  and  American 
schools  make  them  capable  of  doing  so.  Hence,  our 
mills  are  dependent  on  a  fresh  supply  of  foreign  labor 
every  year.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  de- 
mand for  labor  on  the  part  of  the  manufacturer  is 
not  born  of  the  desire  for  cheap  help.  This  idea, 
which   the   various  labor  unions  are  promulgating^ 

[402] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

should  be  combated  strongly.  If  at  any  time  an  im- 
migrant should  be  employed  in  any  of  my  mills,  he 
is  put  to  work  alongside  the  native  help,  and  gets 
exactly  the  same  treatment  and  the  same  wages. 
American  manufacturers  would  be  very  foolish  to  do 
otherwise,  for  we  want  to  encourage  the  immigra- 
tion of  strong,  able-bodied  young  men,  who  are  pro- 
gressive in  their  tendencies,  in  order  that  our  manu- 
facturers may  not  be  actually  hampered  for  lack  of 
help  as  they  are  to-day.  I  believe,  of  course,  in  the 
protection  of  American  labor  as  well  as  of  American 
products.  While  labor  needs  protection,  it  does  not 
need  that  kind  of  protection  that  would  prevent  a 
manufacturer  from  running  his  plant  to  its  full  ca- 
pacity by  reason  of  insufficient  help,  in  which  event 
oftentimes  a  short  equipment  of  help  cannot  be  fully 
engaged  by  reason  of  an  unbalance. 

"What  would  facilitate  and  prevent  the  unneces- 
sary return  of  undesirable  immigrants  would  be  the 
requirement  from  an  immigrant  of  a  certificate  from 
the  consul  of  each  district  of  embarkation,  showing  a 
clean  bill  of  health  and  such  other  qualifications, 
that  would  be  filled  out,  and  this  certificate  being 
presented  to  the  officials  of  Ellis  Island,  would  go  far 
toward  correcting  one  of  the  greatest  evils  that  we 
now  have  to  contend  with. 

[4°3] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

"The  real  trouble  lies,  as  I  have  pointed  out,  not 
in  the  fact  that  immigrants  are  not  coming  to  our 
shores  fast  enough,  but  in  that  they  do  not  get  to  the 
sections  of  the  country  where  they  are  most  needed. 
If  some  intelligent  methods  were  devised  and  put  in 
operation  to  handle  our  incoming  guests,  and  steer 
them  in  those  directions  where  there  is  a  real  demand 
for  them,  the  so-called  immigration  question  would 
be  largely  solved.  The  National  Government  will 
have  to  take  this  matter  up  sooner  or  later,  and  it  is 
the  only  agent  which  can  be  trusted  to  do  the  work 
thoroughly.  It  can't  be  left  to  the  railroad  and 
steamship  companies,  as  it  has  been  in  the  past.  For 
that  reason,  I  am  in  favor  of  landing  immigrants  at 
ports  contiguous  to  the  territory  which  they  may  be 
destined  to  occupy,  and  they  should  also  be  better 
posted  before  they  leave  their  own  country  as  to  re- 
sources and  inducements  of  the  various  sections  of 
the  land  to  which  they  are  going." 

However,  things  would  seem  to  be  improving, 
and  it  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  Italians  coming  to 
America  in  the  last  three  years  have  been  bound  for 
every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union. 

When  a  stranger  comes  to  new  surroundings  he 
should  receive  a  welcome;  but  how  often  is  this  the 
case  in  any  walk  in  life?     In  the  school  room,  is  the 

[404] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

new  scholar,  who  is  stared  and  glared  at  on  entering, 
greeted  with  kind  words  of  welcome  at  recess  ?  No, 
indeed ;  ten  to  one,  he  is  jeered  at  by  some,  avoided 
by  others,  and  treated  with  indifferent  scorn  by  the 
rest ;  then  one  of  two  things  happens :  the  new-comer 
thrashes  the  first  real  aggressive  jeerer,  and  proves 
his  right  to  his  position  among  the  scholars ;  or,  fail- 
ing in  this,  he  becomes  a  submissive  and  obedient 
member  of  the  school,  and  by  his  good  conduct  and 
kindly  manners  gradually  wins  a  place  for  himself, 
first,  in  the  heart  of  the  teacher,  and  later  in  the 
hearts  of  his  fellow-scholars. 

After  all,  life  in  general  is  much  the  same,  and  the 
multitude  are  quite  like  the  children,  and  show  their 
feelings  regardless  of  manners  or  consequences. 

The  Italians  should  appreciate  this  prejudice, 
which  is  born  of  ignorance,  since,  among  themselves, 
especially  among  those  from  different  provinces, 
there  exist  so  many  prejudices.  Ignorance  is  ever 
the  mother  of  prejudice,  and  those  who  know  little 
of  the  Italian  laborer,  less  of  his  country,  and  still  less 
of  the  Italian  nature,  are  sometimes  very  unjust  and 
unkind  in  their  judgments.  Fortunately,  this  class  is 
in  the  minority,  for  we  who  know  the  Italians,  their 
great  historical  heritage,  their  kindly  nature  and 
their  rare  intelligence,  value  them  at  their  proper 

[405] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

worth,  and  to  us,  I  hope,  may  be  given  the  privilege 
of  assisting  them  in  attaining  their  welfare  and  hap- 
piness here  in  America. 

The  Italian,  as  the  new-comer,  cannot  take  the 
alternative  of  the  new  scholar  and  fight  his  way.  He 
is  forced  to  the  submissive  course,  first,  by  his  ignor- 
ance of  the  laws  and  customs  of  the  land  into  which 
he  has  come,  and  secondly,  because  any  aggression 
on  his  part  will  only  bring  him  into  trouble  with 
forces  too  strong  for  him  to  cope  with  single-handed ; 
but  the  Italian  has  no  wish  to  be  aggressive — it  is 
not  his  nature,  and  he  will  endure  much  with  pa- 
tience. If  actual  injustice  is  done  him,  he  must  ap- 
ply to  the  laws  of  the  land,  though,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  in  many  cases  it  is  difficult  to  bring  the  laws  of 
the  land  to  work  for  individuals,  especially  when  they 
do  not  know  the  language  of  the  country  in  which 
they  are,  and  must  rely  on  some  middleman  to  transact 
their  business  for  them.  One  Italian  gentleman,  who 
has  made  many  studies  among  his  people  here,  told 
me  that  not  infrequently  a  poor  Italian  is  put  to 
great  annoyance  and  sometimes  grossly  overcharged 
by  the  lawyers  who  are  supposed  to  adjust  his  claim. 

As  most  of  the  Italians  who  come  to  us  are  from 
southern  Italy  and  Sicily,  where  law  and  order  have, 
until  1870,  been  ever  most  unstable,  these  men  have 

[406] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  inherited  belief  in  their  absolute  right  in  extreme 
cases  to  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and  be- 
lieve that  their  revenge  for  an  outrage  is  theirs  alone 
to  repay.  A  story  was  recently  told  me  by  Count 
Massiglia,  the  Italian  Consul-General,  when  he  was 
at  another  diplomatic  post,  of  a  man  who  was  found 
in  a  dying  condition,  having  been  attacked  and  mor- 
tally wounded.  The  Consul  had  him  at  once  taken 
to  a  hospital  and,  on  being  told  that  he  could  not 
live,  begged  the  man  to  reveal  to  him  the  name  of 
his  assailant;  though  the  man  knew  quite  well  he 
had  but  an  hour  to  live,  and  could  speak  with  diffi- 
culty, he  managed  to  say :  "  If  I  live,  I  will  take  my 
own  revenge;  if  I  die,  God  will  revenge  me,*'  and 
nothing  could  induce  him  to  betray  his  assassin. 

From  this  you  can  see  that  the  Sicilians  and  the 
men  of  Southern  Italy  feel  it  to  be  almost  cowardly 
to  ask  even  the  law  of  the  land,  which  means  to 
them  some  vague,  uncertain  person,  to  avenge  their 
wrongs;  and  when  the  rabbia  seizes  them,  crimes  of 
blood  are  apt  to  follow ;  though  it  is  only  fair  to 
say  that  they  are  nearly  always  committed  among 
themselves  ;  as  they  are  committed  without  secrecy, 
they  are  widely  exploited  in  the  sensational  press, 
while  less  exciting  but  no  less  wicked  crimes  of 
others  pass  unnoticed  and  unchronicled.     As  Signor 

[407] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Speranza  very  truly  points  out,  the  criminal  in  these 
open  crimes  always  pays  the  full  penalty  for  his  of- 
fense, while  the  carefully  planned  and  successfully 
executed  misdeeds  are  often  left  unpunished  for  lack 
of  evidence.  As  they  learn  our  laws  they  learn 
their  protection  as  well  as  the  penalty  for  breaking 
them,  and  the  crimes  among  the  Italians  are  decreas- 
ing steadily  each  year. 

No,  the  Italian  with  us  is  for  the  most  part  good 
and  honest.  He  loves  his  family,  and  when  he  is 
here  without  them,  sends  much  of  his  savings  to 
Italy  until  he  can  afford  to  have  them  join  him,  as 
he  almost  invariably  does,  sooner  or  later. 

There  is  a  very  erroneous  idea  among  some  peo- 
ple, that  many  of  the  Italian  immigrants  return  with 
their  earnings  to  Italy,  there  to  spend  their  hard- 
earned  savings  in  an  old  age  of  comfort.  Formerly 
that  was  sometimes  true,  but  it  is  almost  never  the 
case  now.  The  life  out  here  in  America  seems  to 
entirely  unfit  the  Italian  for  the  old  life  in  his  village 
piazza.  He  frequently  goes  back  to  Italy  to  visit 
and  show  his  newly-earned  success,  but  almost  inva- 
riably he  returns  to  America  where  his  children  are 
growing  up  as  good  American  citizens. 

The  surest  proof  of  this  statement,  is  the  ever-in- 
creasing real  estate  holdings  of  the  Italians  in  this 

[408] 


]K.Ma»mar«^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

country,  and  where  a  man*s  land  is,  there  his  inter- 
ests are  quite  sure  to  be. 

It  is  customary  for  the  various  Italian  societies  to 
have  in  that  part  of  New  York  which  is  called  Pic- 
cola  Italia  an  annual  festival  (very  often  on  Colum- 
bus day),  and  on  these  occasions  the  Italians  show  all 
their  love  of  pomp  and  ceremony,  as  well  as  their 
fondness  for  elaborate  discourses. 

But  music  is  ever  the  Italian's  dearest  pleasure, 
and  I  do  not  know  what  the  artists  of  the  Metropol- 
itan Opera  House  would  do  for  enthusiastic  applause 
if  it  were  not  for  the  Italians  who  crowd  the  galle- 
ries and  stand  patiently  around  the  orchestral  rail 
throughout  one  of  their  favorite  operas  of  Verdi, 
Puccini  or  Donizetti.  During  the  season  in  New 
York  it  is  not  unusual  to  hear  the  shoe-blacks  and 
the  day  laborers  in  the  street  discussing  the  merits  of 
this  or  that  singer,  and  giving  their  reasons  why  this 
or  that  opera  pleases  them,  and  there  is  a  certain  sen- 
timent of  patriotism  about  their  opera-going,  for 
many  of  our  most  noted  singers  here  are  Italians. 
The  celebrated  baritone,  Signor  Scotti,  is  especially 
loved  by  his  fellow-countrymen  here  in  America,  I 
am  told. 

Only  a  few  evenings  ago  F.  B.  and  I  went  to  the 
Mardi  Gras  ball  given  here  by  the  Italians.     The 

[409] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT   LIFE 

Countess  Massiglia,  wife  of  the  Italian  Consul-Gen- 
eral,  was  kind  enough  to  ask  us  to  her  box,  where  we 
had  an  excellent  opportunity  to  see  the  carnival 
dancing.  It  was  very  like  the  Argentina  Carnival 
ball  in  Rome  last  year.  The  hall  was  very  taste- 
fully decorated;  there  were  many  maskers,  much 
confetti  and  serpentine  and  a  general  good  time. 

The  Queen  of  the  Carnival  was  a  pretty  Italian 
girl  who  seemed  to  enjoy  her  temporary  royalty 
immensely,  and  smiled  down  gayly  at  the  merry- 
makers from  her  exalted  throne  of  tinsel,  with  her 
snapping  black  eyes.  Not  a  rough,  coarse  thing  did 
we  see  the  entire  evening,  and  when  we  left  at  a  few 
minutes  past  one  in  the  morning,  happiness  and  good- 
natured  frin  had  full  sway. 

Objections  are  made  by  some  people  to  the  immi- 
gration laws  as  they  now  exist,  and  insist  that  they 
should  be  made  more  strict ;  that  only  those  who  can 
read  and  write  should  be  allowed  to  enter  the  coun- 
try ;  but  I  do  not  think  that  these  people  realize  the 
wonderful  aptness  of  the  Italian  mind,  or  understand 
the  conditions  and  necessities  of  our  country.  Only 
a  few  days  ago  I  went  with  Count  Aldrovandi,  the 
Vice-Consul  of  Italy  here  in  New  York,  to  Ellis 
Island,  and  with  Signor  Tizzani,  Manager  for  the 
Society  for  Italian  Immigrants,  we  made  a  complete 

[410] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

tour  of  all  the  departments  of  the  landing  place  of 
immigrants  to  New  York.  If  the  people  objecting 
to  the  present  immigration  laws  could  have  been  with 
us,  it  seems  to  me  they  would  have  been  convinced 
that  all  the  necessary  precautions  are  taken,  and  that 
only  the  young,  vigorous  and  healthy  of  the  Old 
World  are  being  allowed  to  come  to  us.  To  quote 
the  regulations,  no  one  who  is  "  old,  blind,  deaf- 
mute,  suffering  from  contagious  diseases,  in  a  state  of 
ill  health,  without  sufficient  money,  anyone  who 
would  seem  to  be  in  a  condition  likely  to  become  a 
public  charge,  and  all  who  come  under  contract  for 
labor"  are  excluded  from  the  country.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  far  from  being  the  scum  of  Italy's  paupers 
and  criminals,  the  Italian  immigrants  who  come  to 
us  are  the  very  flower  of  her  peasantry. 

Why  should  we  keep  out  the  strong,  well-built, 
able-bodied  young  men  and  women,  because  they 
have  been  born  in  localities  where  no  schooling  for 
them  has  been  possible  ?  They  are  ready  and  anxious 
to  work,  hard  and  long,  for  their  day's  wage,  and 
their  nimble  brains  are  not  long  in  mastering 
symbols  and  signs.  Indeed,  within  a  very  few 
months  many  of  them  speak  excellent  English.  At 
least  these  sturdy  people  from  the  hills  and  moun- 
tains are  honest,  and  have  what  is  the  most  impor- 

[411] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

tant  thing  in  the  world — good,  rugged  health,  ar-^ 
consequently  cheerful,  normal  minds. 

Those  who  have  but  a  smattering  of  education, 
really  not  enough  to  discriminate  between  those  who 
have  none,  as  I,  who  have  lived  in  Italy,  know,  are 
often  among  those  to  whom  one  may  apply  the 
saying,  "A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing.** 
What  possible  advantage  our  country  can  derive  from 
a  peasant  who  can  read  and  write  a  few  words  in 
one  of  the  many  and  varied  dialects  of  Italy,  I  fail 
to  see,  while  if  they  and  their  children  first  learn  to 
write  and  read  in  English,  they  are  the  quicker  a 
part  of  our  country  and  have  an  interest  the  sooner 
in  our  interests. 

One  great  change  that  should  take  place  among 
us,  who  count  our  ancestors  in  dear  old  England,  is 
that  we  should  cease  to  have  the  most  unpleasant 
and  often  most  unjust  prejudices  against  the  foreigner. 
Ours  is  the  promised  land,  not  only  for  our  Pilgrim 
and  Puritan  Fathers,  but  for  all  who  wish  to  make 
their  way  in  life  by  hard  and  honest  work.  Nothing 
can  be  more  typical  of  America  than  President 
Roosevelt's  splendid  words:  "All  I  ask  is  a  square 
deal  for  every  man — give  him  a  fair  chance.  Do 
not  let  him  wrong  any  one,  and  do  not  let  him  be 
wronged  " 

[4.2] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

To  those  who  are  opposed  to  the  healthy  youth 
of  Europe  coming  to  our  shore,  let  me  point  out  that 
men  who  are  educated  even  but  little  are  rarely  will- 
ing to  dig  ditches  and  work  on  railroads. 

Another  mistake  is  the  great  prejudice  against  the 
southern  Italian.  How  often  you  hear  the  remark: 
"Oh  well,  you  know  the  northern  Italian  is  by  far 
the  best,  and  unfortunately  only  the  southern  Italians 
come  to  us.'*  Now  the  northern  and  southern 
Italians  are  very  different  in  character  and  in  their 
mode  of  life,  but  both  have  their  good  points. 

In  the  north  of  Italy,  which  has  been  the  con- 
tested territory  of  French,  Spanish  and  Austrian 
armies  for  so  many  years,  there  is  a  great  mixture  of 
northern  blood,  and  in  Milan  and  the  north  generally, 
there  is  mixed  with  the  love  of  art  and  beauty  a  vast 
deal  of  thrift  and  business  enterprise.  But  the  many 
fierce  conflicts  of  foreign  armies  in  this  land  have  left 
their  mark  in  more  ways  than  one,  and  unfortunately 
considerable  socialism  exists  all  through  northern 
Italy,  which  is  not  surprising  considering  the  awful 
state  of  unrest  in  which  the  whole  section  was  kept 
for  so  many  years. 

The  southern  Italian,  the  Neapolitan,  is  a  child 
of  nature.  He  must  live  out  of  doors.  He  has 
much   Greek,  some  Phoenician,   Saracen  and    even 

[413] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT   LIFE 

Arabic  blood  in  his  veins.  He  loves  nature  and 
beauty, — beauty  of  every  sort.  In  appearance  an 
Italian  may  resemble  a  tow-headed  Teuton  or 
a  swarthy  Arab,  and  the  peasants  from  each  section  of 
the  peninsula  have  their  own  dialects,  of  which  there 
are  over  three  hundred  in  Italy.  Unless  they  have 
been  at  school  and  learned  the  accepted  Tuscan  dia- 
lect, adopted  by  Dante  and  now  called  Italian,  an 
Italian  from  one  section  of  Italy  cannot  understand 
a  word  of  what  his  fellow-countryman  says,  coming 
from  an  adjoining  province. 

The  Neapolitan  may  be  poor,  but  if  he  has 
sunshine  and  his  beautiful  Napoli,  he  is  not 
very  unhappy  under  conditions  that  to  us  would 
seem  very  trying.  Unfortunately  in  New  York 
sunshine  is  much  more  expensive  than  in  his  dear 
Naples,  and  many  are  the  trials  of  sickness  and 
poverty  that  the  poor  southern  Italian  who  comes  to 
us  has  often  to  suffer.  Crowded  rooms,  hard  work, 
scant  food,  no  knowledge  of  the  language  of  the 
country  and  so — so  little  sunshine  in  his  cramped 
dwelling  place.  It  is  almost  a  miracle,  it  seems  to 
me,  that  most  of  the  Italians  get  on  as  well  and  as 
rapidly  as  they  do,  but  they  are  naturally  a  cheerftil, 
hopeful  race,  and  are  always  hoping  for  better  times. 
Their  love  of  beauty  in  art  has  been  most  beneficial 

[414] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

to  them  here  in  America,  for  in  Boston  one  very 
important  industry  which  has  had  an  educational 
effect  upon  the  whole  country,  and  for  which  Boston 
has  been  the  centre,  is  that  of  making  plaster  casts 
of  the  work  of  the  great  sculptors,  and  this  has  been 
developed  wholly  by  Italians. 

The  southern  Italian  is  simple  and  straightforward 
in  his  nature,  and  requires  but  little  to  give  him  hap- 
piness. His  heart  is  as  tender  as  a  child's,  and  it  is 
only  when  his  hot  blood  is  stirred  by  some  fiery  pas- 
sion that  the  rabbia  makes  him  what  the  word  im- 
plies— insane,  but  have  we  not  in  our  own  land  the 
Kentucky  mountaineers'  blood  feuds,  and  the  race 
riots  in  the  West  and  South? 

After  all,  human  nature,  with  few  changes,  on  the 
outside  is  not  so  very  different  wherever  we  go,  but 
the  Italian  nature  is  wondrously  kind,  and  a  Nea- 
politan, a  Florentine,  a  Sicilian,  a  Roman  or  a  Bolo- 
gnese,  can  all  be  splendid,  true  friends,  as  I  well  know. 

You  will  say  that  I  am  partial ;  but  that  is  precisely 
what  I  am  not;  because  I  know  the  Italians  and  there- 
fore I  can  speak  without  prejudice.  Bad  Italians 
there  are,  of  course,  but  I  think  we  should  search  in 
vain  for  a  country  where  there  are  no  bad  specimens. 
Count  Aldrovandi  who,  by  the  way,  once  more 
proves  my  firm  belief  in  heredity,  is  exactly  what 

[415I 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

one  would  expect  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  Italian  families  to  be  : — a  man  of  great 
culture,  refinement  and  charm.  He  has  been  most 
kind  in  helping  me  to  procure  these  statements,  and 
I  owe  him  many  thanks  for  his  very  helpful  assistance 
in  my  studies  and  investigations  among  the  Italians 
here.  However,  to  the  incredulous,  facts  and  figures 
speak  volumes  in  short  space.  It  seems  to  me  that 
they  tell  their  own  story.  The  Italian  Savings  Bank 
of  New  York  City  has  to-day  on  deposit  $1,059,- 
369.19.  The  report  shows  open  accounts  to  the 
number  of  7,000  and  books  to  the  number  of  10,844 '» 
the  average  sum  on  deposit  being  $170. 

As  to  the  much-talked-of  Society  of  the  Sicilian 
Mafia,  it  is  generally  believed  by  the  intelligent  Ital- 
ians here  that  no  such  organization  exists  in  America, 
and  the  authorities  at  police  headquarters  scout  the 
idea. 

On  Manhattan  Island  there  are  23  Roman  Catholic 
churches,  which  are  entirely  or  in  part  devoted  to 
the  Italians.  As  one  enters  these  churches  one  feels 
the  warmth  of  the  Italian  enthusiasm  in  artistic  dec- 
orations of  the  altar  and  the  church  in  general.  In 
the  downtown  quarter  the  church  has  provided  a 
home  for  the  protection  of  female  immigrants. 
Through  the  generosity  and  energy  of  one  of  New 

[416] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

York's  most  fashionable  and  charitable  ladies.  Coun- 
tess Annie  Leary,  an  Italian  settlement,  known  as  Miss 
Leary's  Italian  Settlement,  has  been  established,  where 
competent  teachers  give  instruction  in  drawing,  paint- 
ing and  many  of  the  higher  branches  of  study. 

This  work  has  grown  out  of  the  successful  enter- 
prise begun  by  Countess  Leary  some  time  ago  in  the 
Italian  quarter. 

Sewing  schools  were  established  and  Sisters  of 
Charity  were  sent  to  teach  any  among  the  Italians 
who  might  wish  to  come  and  learn.  Materials  were 
freely  furnished,  and  as  may  be  imagined,  the  attend- 
ance was  large. 

Once  together  and  the  sewing  begun,  the  women 
were  interestingly  and  almost  unconsciously  instructed 
by  the  Holy  Sisters  in  the  precepts  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith.  Thus  did  my  friend  accomplish  the 
difficult  and  double  task  of  improvement,  religious 
and  material. 

I  must  hasten,  however,  to  claim  Countess  Leary 
as  an  American,  and  ,to  explain  that  her  title  was 
conferred  upon  her  by  His  Holiness,  the  late  Pope 
Leo  XIII,  as  an  expression  of  the  appreciation  of  the 
church  for  the  many  and  generous  works  of  its  chari- 
table daughter. 

In  the  salon  of  Countess  Leary*s  elegant  home 

[417] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

on  Fifth  Avenue  is  a  large  photograph  of  H.  H. 
Pius  X,  on  which  is  inscribed  the  papal  blessing  and 
words  of  commendation  and  appreciation  of  the  pres- 
ent Pontiff. 

There  are  also  four  organized  Evangelical  churches, 
maintained  by  the  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Protestant 
Episcopal  and  Baptist  denominations.  These  churches 
are  fairly  well  attended,  but  the  Italian  is  by  birth 
and  training  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  a  prominent 
Italian  told  me  that  the  material  aid  offered  in  one 
way  or  another  by  these  churches  proved  to  the  needy 
Italian  the  main  attraction  to  these  Protestant  mis- 
sions.— Probably  the  institution  which  has  done  the 
really  most  lasting  good  for  the  Italians  in  our  country 
is  the  Educational  School,  established  in  Leonard 
Street  and  maintained  by  the  Children's  Aid  Society. 
The  day  sessions  are  conducted  precisely  along  public 
school  lines,  mainly  for  children  who,  for  various 
reasons,  cannot  attend  our  public  schools.  A  night 
school  is  conducted  in  the  same  building,  which  aims 
primarily  at  giving  instructions  in  the  English  lan- 
guage, and  there  is  also  a  department  of  Italian  in- 
struction, the  teacher  of  which  is  supported  by  the 
Italian  Government.  Efforts  have  been  made  also 
to  establish  night  schools  in  some  of  the  Italian  labor 
camps.     The  trials  have  met  with  great  success,  and 

[4.8] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  men  showed  the  greatest  eagerness  to  avail  them- 
selves of  all  possible  opportunities  to  improve  their 
condition,  as  the  follow^ing  letter  shows: 

'translation  of  a  Letter  from  one  of  the  Pupils 

**AspiNWALL,  Pa.,  Box  13,  Nov.  2,  1905 

Illustrious  Lady  'teacher : 

Your  gracious  letter  reached  me  yesterday,  and  I  could 
not  have  received  a  greater  pleasure.  Nevertheless  I  am 
sorry  to  read  that  it  will  perhaps  be  impossible  to  have  you 
here  again.  My  richest  hopes  are  lost  ?  Again  I  will  con- 
fide them  to  you  and  wish  to  believe  that  I  shall  be  put  in 
the  right  way.  For  this  reason  I  am  about  to  beg  you  to 
let  me  know  if  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg — a  city  entirely 
unknown  to  me — perhaps  there  may  be  some  one  who 
could  give  me  some  information  in  regard  to  our  holy  re- 
ligion of  which  I  am  ignorant  of  even  the  principles. 

Certainly  in  New  York  there  must  be  churches  and  some 
one  perhaps  of  their  faculty  who  would  lose  a  little  time  on 
my  account. 

At  present  I  will  not  say  any  more. 

The  fatigue  of  the  shovel  oppresses  me  and  prevents  me 
from  continuing. 

Awaiting  your  reply,  which  I  trust  to  receive,  although  I 

beg  you  to  excuse  this  continual  disturbing,  I  salute  you 

with  esteem. 

Aristotille  Guerrieri." 

The  editor  of  one  of  the  local  Italian  papers  pub- 
lished in  New  York,  and  there  are  four  of  them, 
gives  this  interesting  testimony  to  the  value  of  this 
school: 

[419] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

"I  landed  at  Castle  Garden,"  he  continued, "  with  $1.70 
in  my  pocket,  and  not  a  friend  or  relative  in  America.  I 
never  shall  forget  the  strange  impression  New  York  made 
on  me  that  Sunday.  At  home  the  people  were  all  in  the 
streets,  in  their  best  clothes,  enjoying  themselves  on  Sunday. 
Lower  Manhattan,  closed,  silent,  and  empty,  seemed  to 
me  a  city  of  the  dead.  *  What  kind  of  a  country  is  this  ? ' 
I  muttered  to  myself.  I  had  come  to  America  to  work  in 
the  mines,  but  there  did  n't  seem  to  be  any  mines  about.  I 
walked  up  Broadway,  my  heavy  old-country  valise  in  my 
hand,  about  as  lonesome,  homesick,  forlorn  a  boy  as  could 
be  found  on  the  continent.  I  did  n't  know  what  to  do  or 
where  to  go. 

"  The  best  luck  that  ever  happened  to  me  in  my  life  was 
when  I  met  an  Italian,  who  saw  that  I  was  a  green  immi- 
grant boy  and  stopped  to  speak  to  mc.  He  took  me  to  a 
decent  place  to  spend  the  night,  and  the  next  day  took  me 
to  the  Italian  school  of  the  Children's  Aid  Society,  at  No. 
156  Leonard  Street.  The  late  A.  E.  Cerqua,  who  had 
helped  the  late  C.  L.  Brace  in  starting  the  school,  received 
me  and  put  me  in  a  printing  class.  I  worked  in  that  little 
print  shop  during  the  day,  and  in  the  evening  I  went  into 
the  English  classes.  What  would  have  become  of  me  had 
it  not  been  for  Mr.  Cerqua  and  the  Children's  Aid  Society 
I  don't  know.  In  two  days  after  I  landed  at  Castle  Garden 
I  had  found  good  friends  and  was  hard  at  work  learning  my 
trade  and  studying  English. 

"There  are  five  or  six  Italian  printing  offices  in  town, 
including  all  the  most  important  ones,  the  proprietors  of 
which  were  all  in  that  printing  class  in  Leonard  Street,  with 
me,  twenty-five  years  ago." 

Sig.  Frugone  is  now  endeavoring  to  start  a  similar 
school  in  the  uptown  settlement,  called  Piccola  Italia, 

[420] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  among  the  Italians  has  already  raised  $3,000  to 
this  end.  These  societies  which  work  for  the  good 
of  all  the  Italians  are  the  sources  from  which  the 
greatest  permanent  good  to  the  Italian  in  America  is 
to  come,  for  the  Italian  is  an  Italian  to  us  ;  but  to 
his  fellow  countrymen  he  is  a  Neapolitano,  or  Abruz- 
zese,  or  Calabrese  or  Genoese,  as  the  case  may  be, 
and  is  very  apt  to  have  more  prejudices  against  his 
foreign  neighbor  who  comes  from  a  province  which 
has  never  had  over-kindly  feelings  for  his  paese 
(county)  in  Italy,  than  the  few  people  among  us 
who  regard  the  Italian  immigrant  as  undesirable.  So 
far  as  the  Italian  is  concerned  this  is  unfortunate ; 
from  our  point  of  view  it  is  just  as  well,  for  assimi- 
lation will  the  sooner  be  accomplished,  and  they  will 
all  become  Americans.  The  New  York  colony  is 
composed  of  persons  coming  from  nearly  every  prov- 
ince in  Italy,  and  each  man  feels  after  the  manner 
of  the  home  sentiment,  that  his  first  duty  is  to  his 
faesano  (fellow  countryman) .  Thanks  to  this  fellow 
feeling,  what  few  Italians  need  help  almost  invari- 
ably receive  it  from  their  own  people,  and  rarely 
from  any  public  charity.  You  must  remember  that 
up  to  1870,  when  the  present  United  Kingdom  of 
Italy  was  so  miraculously  formed  by  the  bravery  of 
Victor  Emmanuel  II,  the  patriotism  of  Garibaldi,  the 

[421] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

diplomacy  of  Cavour,  and,  as  has  been  said,  the 
smile  of  Queen  Margherita,  the  country  had  been 
divided  into  numerous  dukedoms  and  principalities, 
among  which  there  existed  all  sorts  of  rivalries, 
resentments  and  not  infrequently  a  state  of  open  v^^ar- 
fare.  These  old  jealousies  are  sometimes  reflected 
even  to-day  in  the  fierce  rivalry  between  two  cities 
or  towns  in  the  same  province.  It  is  therefore  not 
surprising,  that  having  all  these  prejudices  against  all 
outside  his  own  paese,  the  Ahruzzese  does  not  hasten 
to  associate  himself  with  the  Neapolitan  in  a  common 
work  for  the  general  Italian  welfare  in  America. 
Therefore  the  Italian  of  culture  and  position  must 
not  blame  some  of  my  own  countrymen  who  regard, 
from  the  prejudice  born  of  ignorance,  the  Italian 
immigrant  askance,  and  question  the  benefit  to  our 
country  of  his  coming.  We  must  consider  that  it 
costs  Italy  a  goodly  sum  to  rear  a  young  man  to  the 
age  of  eighteen  or  twenty,  and  when  at  that  age  he 
comes  to  us,  he  becomes  here  not  only  a  good 
worker,  but  a  consumer  as  well.  Of  the  many 
attributes  to  recommend  the  Italian  to  us,  not  the 
least  is  his  almost  invariable  sobriety  and  great 
powers  of  endurance,  both  factors  in  life  which  mean 
psychical  and  physical  vigor. 

The  Italian  loves  his    pleasure,  but  so  little    con- 

[422] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

tents  him.  Sipping  an  ice  or  coffee  with  his  friends, 
a  simple  game  of  cards  at  the  house  of  a  friend, 
listening  to  a  bit  of  music,  a  visit  to  the  Art  Museum, 
and  he  is  quite  contented. 

I  recall  one  afternoon  this  winter  when  I  was 
driving  in  the  park,  I  noticed  several  Italians  digging 
in  the  streets  near  the  entrance  to  the  Art  Museum. 
As  soon  as  it  was  time  for  them  to  leave  their  work 
they  dropped  their  axes  and  shovels  and  went  straight 
into  the  museum.  Had  you  followed  them  you 
would  have  surely  found  them  before  the  best  masters* 
paintings,  for  the  Italians  have  an  intuitive  sense  of 
beauty,  in  color  and  contour.  Even  the  newest 
immigrant,  with  his  push  cart,  makes  his  ware 
attractive,  and  arranges  his  fruit  and  wares  in  the 
most  attractive  manner.  The  art  sense  of  the  Italians 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  contributions  that  they 
bring  to  our  new  country,  because  it  is  one  of  the 
qualities  that  many  of  our  people  lack.  Almost  inde- 
finite instances  are  cited  by  teachers  in  the  different 
schools  as  proof  of  this  rare  artistic  sense.  Unfortu- 
nately, from  an  inability  to  speak  the  language  or  to 
start  themselves,  skilled  artisans  coming  from  Italy 
are  often  forced  to  abandon  the  work  for  which  they 
are  fitted  and  well  trained,  and  the  remark  is  often 
heard :  "  I  was  a  silversmith  in  Italy,  but  I  have  had  to 

[423] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

carry  pig-iron  since  I  came  here";  while  another, 
a  decorator,  wears  out  his  strength  handling  beer 
barrels  in  a  saloon. 

Unfortunately  also  in  many  cases,  the  educated 
Italian  can  succeed  here  only  by  beginning  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder,  but  instead  of  clamoring  against 
the  seeming  injustice  of  Fate,  most  of  the  skilled 
laborers  begin  literally  at  the  bottom  of  the  ditch, 
and  greatly  to  the  credit  of  their  manhood,  accept 
the  situation  cheerfully  and  bravely  until  they  make 
a  way  to  the  place  that  their  talents  deserve  them  to 
win.  This  is  not  altogether  a  surprising  state  of 
affairs,  for  we  have  constant  and  definite  demands 
for  unskilled  labor,  while  the  educated  Italian  is 
bound  to  meet  with  difficulties  in  finding  employ- 
ment for  his  talents,  especially  as  he  is  more  likely 
than  not  ignorant  of  English. 

There  are  some  of  our  people  who  judge  from 
picturesque  paintings  that  the  Italians  are  inclined  to 
be  beggars,  and  to  those  who  evince  uneasiness  in 
regard  to  the  preponderance  in  the  Italian  immigra- 
tion of  illiterate,  unskilled  labor,  we  would  say,  that 
this  is  precisely  the  class,  according  to  charity  rec- 
ords, that  is  most  able  to  care  for  itself  here,  while 
the  skilled  or  professional  worker  often  seems  to  be 
at  a  great  disadvantage.     Of  the  sturdy,  hard-work- 

[424] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

ing  peasants  who  come  to  our  shores,  very  few,  if 
any,  ask  help  from  public  charities.  In  the  immi- 
gration of  1903,  less  than  one-half  of  one  per  cent, 
was  of  the  professional  class,  but  five  per  cent,  of  the 
charity  cases  was  of  this  class. 

One  problem  that  has  required  much  study  has 
been  the  readiness  of  the  Italians  to  commit  their 
children  to  some  charitable  institution.  This  is 
sometimes  caused  by  the  fact  that  the  father  of  the 
family  has  deserted  the  wife,  leaving  her  with  several 
small  children  and  little  or  no  means  of  support,  but 
generally  these  cases  occur  where  the  father  and 
mother  have  died,  and  the  family  must  of  necessity 
be  broken  up.  In  general,  however,  the  Italian  par- 
ents are  unwilling  to  give  up  their  children  perma- 
nently, by  adoption  or  otherwise,  though  many  of 
the  Italians  have  unfortunately  acquired  the  idea  that 
the  commitment  of  children  is  a  custom  of  the  coun- 
try of  which  they  may  as  well  take  advantage ;  but 
more  careful  regulations  of  commitments  has  already 
checked  this  evil,  and  will  soon  do  away  completely 
with  this  mistaken  idea.  The  Italian  parents  have 
many  complaints  to  make,  however,  of  their  chil- 
dren, saying  that  they  become  unmanageable  and 
"wild"  in  this  country ;  but  the  Italian  mother  among 
the  middle  and  poorer  classes  is  generally  very  young, 

[425] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

and  nearly  as  much  a  child  as  her  children.  She 
plays  with  them,  quarrels  with  them,  indulges  them 
in  many  ways,  and  then  scolds  them  with  insufficient 
reason,  so  an  Italian  has  told  me.  Italian  children, 
whether  born  in  Italy  or  here,  find  America  much 
to  their  taste.  They  are  quick  to  adapt  themselves 
to  the  freedom  of  the  new  country,  as  are  their  elders, 
and  though  many  of  them  could  not  define  the  word 
"  Republic"  before  coming  to  us  here  in  America,  we 
all  know  from  the  glorious  history  of  modern  Italy 
that  the  love  of  freedom  and  spirit  of  independence 
are  elements  inherent  in  the  Italian  character. 

When  the  Italian  reaches  America  he  breathes  the 
atmosphere  created  by  republican  institutions  with 
undisguised  pleasure,  but  in  his  enthusiasm  he  some- 
times loses  sight  of  the  close  and  narrow  distinction 
between  liberty  and  license ;  he  fails  to  remember,  if 
he  ever  knew,  that  the  most  sacred  rights  of  liberty  lie 
in  the  observance  by  every  man  of  the  rights  of  every 
other  man,  and  he  does  not  always  quite  understand 
that  the  greatest  good  for  the  greatest  number  is  the 
foundation  stone  of  any  great  democratic  body,  and 
along  such  lines  only  can  great  things  be  accomplished. 
But  the  Italians'  mistakes  or  infringements  against 
municipal  laws  are  almost  invariably  those  of  ignor- 
ance rather  than  of  wilful  disobedience  to  the  law. 

[426] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

With  the  nervous  atmosphere  of  our  climate,  and  the 
hopes  that  the  laws  of  our  land  make  possible,  is 
born  in  the  heart  of  nearly  all  the  Italians  here  among 
us,  that  distinctive  American  characteristic,  ambition. 
Decry  it  if  you  will,  Cassar  did,  I  know,  and  yet 
without  it,  what  would  the  world  become?  Desire 
to  "  get  ahead,"  a  wholesome  and  worthy  wish  to 
attain  to  something  better  than  present  conditions, 
are  other  ways  of  saying  the  same  thing. 

In  this  little  letter,  which  shows  all  the  grace  and 
courtesy  inherent  in  the  Italian  character,  you  will 
see  my  meaning  at  a  glance. 

It  was  written  by  a  little  boy,  1 2  years  old,  to  a 
teacher  in  one  of  the  industrial  schools,  who  had 
asked  for  letters  containing  some  information  as  to 
the  children's  parents'  condition,  etc.,  in  order  that 
she  might  have  a  better  understanding  of  her  scholars; 

"  Dear  and  most  gracious  Signora  A : 

My  father  has  been  two  years  in  America,  and  he  fol- 
lows the  trade  of  carpenter  and  .  .  .  He  would  like 
to  make  of  me  an  honest,  industrious  boy  with  at  the  same 
time  a  trade  better  than  his,  and  he  sends  me  to  school  so 
that  when  I  am  grown  up  I  may  be  an  educated  man  and 
useful  to  others. 

Later  I  wish  to  make  machines  for  factories  and  thus 
to  have  better  wages  than  others.  Having  nothing  more  to 
say,  I  kiss  my  hand  to  you,  and  assure  you  that  I  am, 

Your,  GiuLio." 

[427] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Similarly  in  the  four  Italian  schools  of  the  Chil- 
dren's Aid  Society  in  New  York,  the  older  children 
were  asked  to  write  their  teachers  what  they  wished 
to  do  when  they  grew  up.  In  most  every  instance 
the  letters  showed  a  decided  wish  and  determination 
to  "get  on,"  either  to  acquire  money,  fame  or  to 
"help  father  and  mother." 

Another  instance  of  the  desire  among  the  children 
to  become  truly  American  is  their  tendency  to 
change  their  names  to  American  forms,  as  is  seen  in 
the  transformation  of  the  charming  name  of  Vin- 
cenzo  Campobello  to  Jim  Campbell.  While  patriotic 
on  their  part,  this  seems  rather  a  pity,  but  it  evinces 
at  any  rate  the  right  spirit.  Surely  these  elements  in 
our  midst  can  only  be  good  and  beneficial. 

The  young  girls  show  less  ambition  than  the  boys, 
but  that  is  easily  explained,  for  the  Italian  girl,  even 
more  than  the  average  young  woman,  expects  and 
hopes  to  be  occupied  at  an  early  age  with  the  care 
of  her  own  household.  The  women  of  Italy,  par- 
ticularly the  women  of  Abruzzi  and  Calabria,  from 
which  districts  come  the  larger  part  of  the  Italian 
immigration,  have  been  noted  for  centuries  for  their 
skill  and  handicraft,  and  it  is  with  delight  that  I  can 
write  you  that  through  the  untiring  and  endless 
efforts  of  Signorina  Carolina  Amari,  a  lace  school,  to 

[428] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

be  a  branch  of  the  Industrie  Femminili  in  Rome, 
has  been  established  at  Richmond  House  in  Mac- 
Dougal  Street,  where  these  Old  World  hand-works 
of  women  are  now  to  be  preserved,  renewed,  and  we 
surely  hope  ably  supported.  At  least  Miss  Colgate, 
who  is  the  chairman  of  a  committee  of  ladies  in 
New  York,  who  are  endeavoring  to  help  on  this  work, 
assures  me  that  over  $1,500  worth  of  orders  have 
been  given  to  the  school  during  the  past  few  weeks, 
since  its  commencement,  which  would  indicate  a 
definite  success  for  the  work  in  hand.  Over  the 
tea-cups  in  Miss  Colgate's  beautiful  drawing-room, 
hung  with  wonderful  old  mediaeval  tapestries  and 
seeming  like  an  apartment  in  one  of  your  old  palaces 
in  Italy,  Miss  Amari  explained  to  me  her  method  of 
work  here.  She  has  been  pleasantly  received  by 
President  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt,  in  Washington,  and 
has,  I  hope,  gained  an  agreeable  impression  of  us 
Americans ;  surely  she  has  learned  to  know  of  our 
love  of  Italy  and  its  people,  not  only  across  the  seas, 
but  here  in  our  midst. 

Men  and  races  must  be  judged  broadly,  and  if  we 
look  at  the  pages  of  history,  which  we  are  told 
repeats  itself,  we  must  surely  feel  that  the  incoming 
Italian  is  a  distinct  benefit  to  our  country.  It  was 
the  people  of  that  wonderful  peninsula  who  achieved 

[429] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

the  greatness  of  Rome,  who  carried  their  civilization 
and  learning  to  Gaul  and  Britain.  In  the  Middle 
Ages,  infused  with  the  new  and  best  blood  of  the 
Northern  Tribes,  they  established,  after  many  strug- 
gles, not  only  political  but  religious  supremacy  in 
their  midst,  and  they  sent  their  messengers  to  find 
and  awaken  to  the  world  the  glories  of  our  own 
Columbia.  To-day,  through  the  trials  of  blood  and 
battle,  they  have  bought  their  right  to  be  called  one 
of  the  great  nations  of  the  world. 

Surely  a  people  with  their  glorious  heritage  must 
have  the  seeds  of  great  possibilities,  and  the  fact  that 
the  individual  holdings  of  the  Italians  in  savings 
banks  in  New  York  alone  is  over  J  15,000,000;  that 
they  have  J 20,000,000  worth  of  real  estate;  10,000 
stores  owned  by  Italians,  estimated  at  $7,000,000; 
$7,500,000  invested  in  wholesale  business,  while  the 
property  of  the  Italian  colony  in  New  York  City  is 
estimated  at  considerably  over  $60,000,000,  a  value 
much  below  that  of  the  Italian  colonies  of  St.  Louis, 
San  Francisco  and  Chicago,  seems  to  me  adequate 
proof  of  these  possibilities  and  their  realization ;  but 
not  to  have  recourse  to  sordid  figures  and  dollars 
alone,  let  me  say  that  the  most  remarkable  progress 
is  along  the  spiritual  side. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  more  than   50,000 

[430I 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Italian  children  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York 
and  adjacent  cities.  One  young  Italian  on  record 
has  saved  money  earned  by  barbering  to  take  him 
through  Columbia  University.  Another  who  bor- 
rowed money  from  a  far-seeing  and  generous  professor, 
took  his  college  course,  and  repaid  his  benefactor  in 
full  a  very  short  time  after  leaving  college.  A 
third  won  the  fellowship  for  the  American  school  at 
Rome,  so  that  an  American  institution  sent  the  son 
of  an  Italian,  now  "one  of  us,"  we  are  happy  to  say, 
to  Italy,  to  perfect  his  special  scholarship.  There- 
fore as  the  steamship  lines  (and  there  are  now  three 
excellent  Italian  lines,  of  one  of  which  Signor  Solari 
is  the  well-known  inspector)  ply  back  and  forth  be- 
tween Italy  and  America,  let  us  in  this  country  give 
as  kind  a  welcome  to  the  countrymen  of  that  land 
which  all  of  us  who  visit  learn  to  love  so  well,  as  we 
always  receive  from  the  ever  charming  and  courteous 
Italians  in  Italy. 

To  my  friends  in  Italy  I  send  the  expressions  of 
greatest  appreciation,  simpatia  and  the  sincerest 
affection,  and  I  beg  you  to  believe  me,  dear 
Princess, 

Your  loving  and  devoted  friend, 

Tryphosa  Bates  Batcheller. 

[431] 


A    BRIEF    HISTORY    OF    THE    HOUSE    OF    SAVOY. 
HIS    MAJESTY    THE    KING. 

tOVE  of  ancestors  was  always  a  marked  char- 
acteristic of  the  House  of  Savoy,  and  since 
^  no  force  is  greater  or  more  powerful  than 
that  of  heredity,  I  think,  dear  reader,  you  may  be  in- 
terested to  trace  very  briefly  with  me  the  wonderful 
heritage  of  Victor  Emmanuel  III  of  Savoy.  If  your 
memory  is  as  illusive  as  mine  at  times,  you  will  enjoy, 
as  I  have,  reviving  the  stories  of  New  Italy,  which 
are  so  wonderful  and  so  interesting. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eleventh  century,  Umberto 
Biancamano  (the  White-handed)  was  the  first  to 
really  exercise  a  sovereign  rule  over  the  States  of 
Savoy,  which  had  been  a  part  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Burgundy  that  was  governed  under  the  suzerainty  of 
Rudolph  the  Idle  by  various  dependent  or  subor- 
dinate rulers.  The  country  that  extends  along  the 
rivers  Rhone  and  Iser,  now  called  Savoy,  from  its 
geographical  position,  always  formed,  even  in  old 
Roman  times,  the  highway  between  Italy  and  Gaul, 
At  the    death  of  Rudolph,   who  left   no   issue,  the 

[432] 


Yidd^i 


HIS  MAJESTY  KING  VICTOR  EMMANUEL  III  OF  ITALY 


-/fifi^ y^  S^ty/tA«</rr    ,i^, 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Kingdom  of  Burgundy  became  split  up  into  many 
principalities.  The  son  of  Umberto,  Amadeo  I,  died 
without  issue,  and  was  succeeded  by  Otho,  who  mar- 
ried the  pious  Adelaide,  the  Princess  of  Susa  and 
Turin,  and  through  her  he  gradually  extended  his 
domain  beyond  the  Alps  into  Italy. 

The  provinces  situated  on  the  confines  of  a  king- 
dom were  called  marches,  and  thus  the  Count  who 
governed  and  defended  them  from  foreign  invasion 
came  to  be  called  a  Marquis.  Later,  however,  every 
ruler  who  exercised  dominion  over  several  count- 
ships  came  also  to  be  called  a  Marquis,  however  his 
dominions  might  be  situated.  The  valley  of  Susa 
was  originally  a  true  marquisate,  but  after  Otho  of 
Savoy's  marriage  to  Adelaide  the  title  of  Marquis 
passed  over  to  the  Counts  of  Savoy.  A  succession  of 
Counts  of  Savoy  follow,  and  Amedeo  III  died  while 
returning  from  the  unfortunate  second  crusade  ( 1 1 47— 
1 149).  His  successor,  Umberto  III  (called  the 
Saint)  was  renowned  for  his  many  Christian  virtues 
as  well  as  for  his  great  courage.  In  late  years 
(1838),  he  was  solemnly  canonized  by  the  Pope. 

The  rulers  of  the  House  of  Savoy  maintained  the 
constant  struggle  not  only  to  hold  their  present  pos- 
sessions, but  to  increase  their  principalities,  and  in 
I  340  Amadeo  VI,  called  Count  Verde  (Green  Count), 

[433] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

made  his  appearance  at  a  solemn  tournament  held  at 
Chambery,  where  he  first  gave  proof  of  his  great 
prowess  and  dexterity.  On  this  occasion  he  was 
clothed  entirely  in  green,  a  color  which  from  that 
time  he  adopted,  and  was  henceforth  known  as  the 
Green  Knight.  It  was  he  who  instituted  the  Order 
of  the  Collar  of  Savoy  (now  known  by  the  name  of 
St  Annunziata),  which  consists  of  fifteen  knights,  in 
honor  of  the  fifteen  mysteries  of  the  Rosary.  He 
was  a  great  warrior,  assisted  the  Popes  in  maintaining 
the  Eastern  Empire,  defeated  the  army  of  the  Vis- 
conti  family  at  Milan,  and  through  his  diplomacy 
in  settling  various  strifes  in  neighboring  provinces 
added  greatly  to  his  own  territorial  possessions.  His 
son,  Amadeo  VII,  Conte  Rosso  (Red  Count),  was  a 
worthy  descendant  of  his  father,  and  during  his 
reign  Nice  came  under  the  government  of  the  House 
of  Savoy. 

It  was  in  the  year  1 4 1 6,  when  the  Emperor  Sigis- 
mund,  while  passing  through  Chambery,  raised  the 
principality  of  Savoy  to  the  honor  of  a  dukedom, 
and  Amadeo  VIII,  nephew  of  Count  Verde,  was  the 
first  Duke  of  the  title,  and  assisted,  through  the  ad- 
vice and  instigation  of  Carmagnola,  the  Venetians 
and  Florentines  to  free  themselves  fi-om  the  yoke  of 
the  Duke  of  Milan. 

[434] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Alessandro  Manzoni  has  described  this  battle  of 
Maclodio  in  charming  verse. 

Later  Amadeo  gave  his  time  and  thought  to 
legislation,  and  completed  a  codex  called  Statuta 
Subaudice,  or  Statutes  of  Savoy.  This  masterpiece 
gained  for  its  author  the  surname  of  Solomon. 
He  had  been  fortunate  in  every  enterprise,  conqueror 
over  all  his  enemies,  successful  in  all  his  under- 
takings, yet  he  was  not  satisfied ;  he  must  needs 
conquer  himself.  Like  Charles  V  of  Spain,  he 
renounced  the  throne  in  favor  of  his  son  Louis,  and 
passed  the  rest  of  his  days  in  the  convent  of  Ri- 
parglia,  near  Geneva,  where,  clothed  as  a  hermit,  he 
ended  his  days  in  solitary  devotion.  During  the 
reign  of  his  son  Louis,  the  Dukes  of  Savoy  received 
the  title  of  King  of  Cyprus,  a  title  which  they 
retained  down  to  the  present  century. 

All  through  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
especially  during  the  period  when  the  Popes  were 
in  Avignon,  European  warriors  were  accustomed, 
even  from  distant  lands,  to  descend  upon  the  towns 
of  Italy  in  order  to  sack  them,  and  return,  enriched 
with  their  booty,  to  their  own  country.  The  people 
of  the  Peninsula,  however, — they  can  hardly  yet  be 
called  under  the  unified  name  Italians, — learned  to 
form   companies   to    defend   themselves   from   these 

[435] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

incursions,  though  the  adventurers  who  for  the  most 
part  formed  these  bands  fought  mainly  for  gold  and 
glory,  and  for  those  who  offered  them  the  highest 
pay. 

In  1453,  *^^  Turkish  armies,  after  capturing  Con- 
stantinople,—  1 123  years  after  Constantine  the  Great 
had  transferred  the  seat  of  empire  there,  made  them- 
selves masters,  under  the  leadership  of  the  mighty  war- 
rior Mahomet  II,  of  all  Greece,  whence  they  pro- 
ceeded to  descend  upon  Italy.  A  Venetian  captain, 
Charles  of  Montone,  by  his  intrepid  bravery,  pre- 
vented the  Turks  from  crossing  the  Alps,  but  the 
whole  country  was  alarmed,  the  more  so  as  hurri- 
canes and  earthquakes  seemed  to  follow  one  another 
in  quick  succession,  carrying  disaster  in  their  path. 
Mahomet  dispatched  an  army  to  the  south  of  Italy 
and  easily  captured  the  city  of  Otranto. 

Now  the  Pope  became  terrified,  and  fled  to 
France.  But  the  sudden  death  of  Mahomet,  from  a 
terrible  gangrene,  arrested  the  danger  which  threat- 
ened Italy. 

No  sooner  was  the  Peninsula  free  from  the  terror 
of  foreign  invasion,  which  had  also  largely  put  an 
end  to  the  civil  wars,  than  the  arts  and  sciences 
began  to  revive.  Many  of  the  Princes  of  the  various 
States  of  Italy  began  to  adorn   their   country  with 

[436] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

churches,  palaces  and  libraries  (printing  had  been  in- 
vented in  1348).  Florence  now  came  to  surpass  all 
other  cities  of  the  Peninsula,  and  protected,  governed 
and  adorned,  as  it  was  by  Cosmo  di  Medici  and  his 
son,  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  there  gathered  here 
most  of  the  eminent  literati,  artists  and  great  men  of 
the  time. 

While  Christopher  Columbus  was  winning  great 
glory  for  Genoa  and  Italy  in  the  discovery  of  the 
New  World,  Charles  VIII  of  France  was  march- 
ing across  Tuscany  to  Naples,  where  he  seized  the 
throne  of  Ferdinand  I. 

Once  in  Italy  the  French  were  not  so  easily  ousted, 
and  a  league  was  formed  with  the  Pope,  Venetians, 
Maximilian  I,  Emperor  of  Germany,  Ferdinand  the 
Catholic  of  Spain  (Columbus'  benefactor)  and  the 
Duke  of  Milan  (who  now  regretted  his  treacherous 
invitation  to  the  French  to  come  to  Italy)  to  force 
Charles*  return  to  France. 

Ferdinand  was  restored  as  King  of  Naples,  but 
another  incursion  followed  by  Charles'  successor, 
Louis  XII,  of  France,  who  captured  the  city  of 
Milan. 

Venice  had  now  (1509)  become  the  most  pow- 
erful republic  of  Italy,  arousing  the  jealousy  of  all 
the  other  principalities  of  the  Peninsula,  and  a  great 

[437] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

league,  called  the  League  of  Cambray,  was  formed 
by  the  principal  potentates  of  Europe,  including 
the  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  France,  King 
of  Spain,  Pope  Julius  II,  Dukes  of  Ferrara,  Savoy 
and  others,  to  diminish  if  not  to  crush  the  increasing 
power  of  the  Venetians,  who  were  beaten  at  the 
battle  of  Agnadello,  though  several  Lombard  cities 
were  obliged  to  submit  to  the  French  rule  and  the 
cities  of  Romagna  were  forced  to  open  their  gates  to 
the  former  rule  of  the  Pope,  while  Puglia  gave  itself 
up  to  the  Spanish.  Thus,  jealousy  of  one  of  their 
own  principalities  had  caused  several  of  the  Italian 
dukedoms  to  fall  under  something  much  worse,  the 
rule  of  the  foreigner. 

The  French  abused  their  rights  as  the  victors, 
oppressed  the  conquered  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
Pope  now  became  alarmed  at  the  French  ascendancy 
in  Italy,  and  joined  his  old  enemy,  Venice,  in  order 
to  drive  them  out,  but  it  was  Maximilian  Sforza, 
Duke  of  Milan,  who,  with  the  aid  of  Swiss  merce- 
naries, at  last  succeeded  in  driving  the  French  en- 
tirely from  Lombardy,  though  he  was  obliged  to  suc- 
cumb somewhat  later,  to  Francis  I  at  the  famous 
battle  of  Marignano  (15 15),  called  the  Battle  of  the 
Giants.  After  all  these  sanguinary  struggles  things  in 
the   end  were   much    as   before.      France   remained 

[438] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

master  in  Lombardy;  Ferdinand  of  Spain  held  Na- 
ples ;  the  Pope  controlled  the  cities  of  Romagna,  and 
Venice  continued  to  increase  its  marvelous  com- 
merce, the  Venetian  ships  distributing  importations 
from  the  East  throughout  Europe. 

Lorenzo  di  Medici,  the  Magnificent,  who  had  been 
elected  Pope  under  the  name  of  Leo  X  (15 13), 
desired  peace,  happiness  and  the  welfare  of  Italy.  He 
encouraged  artists  and  learning  of  all  kinds.  Under 
his  protection  many  illustrious  men  arose,  who  have 
made  Italy  famous  by  the  fruits  of  their  genius,  which 
all  the  world  admires  to-day.  While  many  parts  of 
Europe  were  still  crude  and  ignorant,  the  great  men 
of  Italy,  protected  by  the  Pontiff,  produced  pictures, 
statues  and  other  works  of  art,  which  still  serve  as 
models  for  all  nations. 

The  beginning  of  the  Basilica  of  St.  Peter  at 
Rome  had  been  commenced  under  Julius  II  by  the 
Florentine,  Bramante.  This  great  work  thus  begun 
was  continued  by  Michael  Angelo  Buonarotti  and 
Raffaele  Sanzio. 

At  this  time  lived  also  the  painter,  poet,  geome- 
trician, mechanician  and  musician,  Leonardo  da  Vinci, 
who  gave  to  the  world  works  of  his  great  genius,  and 
was  the  first  to  carry  Italian  art  into  France,  where 
he  died. 

[439] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Charles  V  of  Spain  now  became  Emperor  of 
Germany,  ruler  of  Naples,  Sicily,  The  Netherlands 
and  all  New  America  as  far  as  then  discovered,  and 
a  fierce  struggle  arose  between  this  powerful  mon- 
arch and  Francis  I  of  France  for  the  rich  dukedom 
of  Lombardy.  Poor  Italy  was  again  the  scene  of 
bloody  battles,  and  at  Pavia,  in  1525,  suffering  from 
the  treachery  of  Charles  of  Bourbon,  the  Italians 
were  obliged  to  resign  not  only  their  rights  to  Lom- 
bardy, but  to  Burgundy,  while  Charles  V  gave  the 
dukedom  of  Milan  to  Francis  Sforza,  who  had  been 
exiled  to  France,  though  a  Spanish  army  was  still 
maintained. 

Charles  now  sent  the  Bourbon  Prince  to  capture 
Rome  with  the  pretext  that  the  Pope  had  refused  to 
grant  certain  concessions  demanded  by  the  Emperor, 
and  the  sacking  of  Rome  by  the  Spanish  soldiers  un- 
der the  French  leader,  who  had  been  first  false  to  his 
family  and  country,  and  was  now  false  to  his  church, 
is  one  of  the  most  frightful  pages  of  history. 

The  Bourbon  Charles  now  repaired  to  Florence, 
where  he  accomplished  the  fall  of  the  republic,  and 
reinstated  the  banished  Medici. 

Shortly  after  the  fall  of  the  Republic  of  Florence 
that  of  Siena  fell  likewise.  It  had  twice  driven  out 
the  Spaniards  with  great  heroism,  but  at  last,  after 

[440] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

the  death  of  Strozzi,  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the 
most  humiliating  conditions  of  peace. 

During  all  this  long,  bloody  struggle  Piedmont 
had  suffered  intensely,  and  the  unfortunate  Prince 
Charles  III  saw  his  dominions  all  pass  from  his  rule, 
with  the  exception  of  Nice  and  Vercelli,  where  he 
finally  died  of  grief.  His  neighboring  province  of 
Genoa  had  been  alternately  under  French  and  German 
rule,  but  at  last,  through  the  bravery  of  a  citizen,  An- 
drew Doria  (1529),  the  republic  was  wrested  from 
French  rule  and  proclaimed  a  free  state. 

Still  further  complications  now  arose  since  Charles 
V  determined  to  retire  from  his  throne,  and  enter  a 
monastery,  and  his  empire  was  divided  between  his 
two  sons,  Phillip  II  receiving  Spain,  America,  the 
Low  Countries,  Burgundy,  Sardinia,  the  two  Sicilies 
and  Milan,  while  Ferdinand  V  became  Emperor  of 
Germany. 

Henry  II  of  France,  always  eager  to  recover  Lom- 
bardy,  and  ever  jealous  of  the  grandeur  of  Spain, 
profited  by  the  separation,  to  wage  war  against  Phillip 
II  in  Flanders.  The  Duke  of  Savoy,  Emanuel  Fili- 
berto,  fighting  with  the  Spanish  forces,  proved  him- 
self a  wonderful  warrior,  performed  great  feats  of 
valor  and  succeeded  in  gaining  complete  victory  over 
the  French  at  the  Battle  of  St.  Quentin  (1557).     A 

[441] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

statue  of  this  great  general  is  now  standing  on  the 
Piazza  of  St.  Carlo  at  Turin. 

The  Duke  of  Savoy  also  took  part  in  the  great 
battle  of  Lepanto  against  the  Turks  (1571),  and 
Marcantonio  Colonna  commanded  galleys  in  the 
name  of  the  Pope,  by  whom  he  was  given  a  tri- 
umphal entry  into  Rome  after  the  complete  defeat 
of  the  enemy. 

(You  will  recall  I  spoke  of  the  chart  of  this  bat- 
tle in  the  Colonna  Palace.) 

While  St.  Carlo  Borromeo,  whose  great  brass  statue 
we  have  seen  at  his  birth-place,  Arona,  on  the  shores 
of  Lago  Maggiore,  was  performing  deeds  of  good- 
ness and  benevolence  in  the  plague-fested  city  of 
Milan  (1576),  Venice,  under  the  influence  of  Sarpi, 
was  disgusted  at  the  intrigues  of  the  Roman  Court, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  following  the  religious  dis- 
sension of  England  and  Germany,  by  separating  itself 
from  the  Roman  See,  when  the  timely  intervention 
of  France  and  the  Duke  of  Savoy  brought  about  a 
reconciliation  with  the  Pope. 

Charles  Emanuel  of  Savoy,  surnamed  the  Great 
( 1 580),  in  consequence  of  the  many  things  he  accom- 
plished, succeeded,  though  only  through  many  hard- 
fought  battles,  in  greatly  adding  to  his  territorial  do- 
mains, and  while  the  French  were  agitated  by  the 

[442] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Huguenot  wars,  seized  the  opportunity  to  retake  the 
Marquisate  of  Saluzzo,  and  in  this  way  became  mas- 
ter of  the  territory  and  commanded  the  passage  of  the 
Alps,  by  which  the  French  were  accustomed  to  en- 
ter Italy.  He  made  an  effort  to  drive  from  his  do- 
mains the  Vaudois,  a  sect  of  people  who  had  espoused 
the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  but  at  length, 
though  he  defined  the  limits  of  their  abode  with  great 
severity,  he  ceased  to  persecute  them. 

Just  at  this  time  Ariosto's  "Orlando  Furioso"  and 
Tasso's  "Geruseleme  Liberata"  were  being  read, 
while  Galileo  was  discovering  the  pendulum,  in- 
venting the  telescope  and  proving,  by  his  great  book, 
Copernicus'  theory  that  the  earth  revolved  around 
the  sun. 

Italy  had  become  in  a  certain  way  Spanish  ;  the 
Spanish  Viceroy  governed  Lombardy,  Sicily,  Sardinia 
and  Naples,  and  Spanish  influence  exerted  itself 
upon  many  of  the  other  States.  Even  to-day  many 
Spanish  customs  still  exist  in  Italy,  which  have  come 
down  from  that  epoch. 

Attacked  by  Spain,  Savoy  allied  itself  with  France, 
and  in  the  battle  at  Casale,  where  the  Spanish  were 
badly  defeated,  the  Spanish  General  Leganez,  full 
of  disgust,  sent  the  French  General,  allied  with  the 
Piedmontese,  the  following  message  : 

[443] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

"  If  I  were  the  King  of  France  I  would  have  your  head 
cut  off  for  having  risked  the  battle  with  so  small  a  force." 

"And  I,"  answered  Artour,  the  French  General, "had  I 
the  honor  to  be  the  King  of  Spain,  would  have  the  Marquis 
Leganez  decapitated  for  allowing  himself  to  be  beaten  by  a 
mere  handful  of  men.** 

Later,  about  1665,  during  the  war  of  the  Spanish 
Succession,  when  it  was  found  that  Victor  Amadeo  II 
of  Savoy  had  sided  not  with  France  but  with  Ger- 
many, a  numerous  army  of  French  and  Spaniards  at- 
tacked his  States.  Savoy,  Nice,  Susa,  Aosta,  Ivrea 
and  Vercelli  unfortunately  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  who  then  turned  on  Turin,  which  they  be- 
sieged, but  after  a  fierce  struggle,  Victor  Amadeo, 
aided  by  the  Austrian  General,  Prince  Eugene,  com- 
pletely defeated  the  French,  drove  them  out  of  Turin, 
and  Piedmont  rose  again  from  its  ruins.  At  the  end 
of  the  war  of  the  Spanish  Succession  by  the  Treaty  of 
Rastadt,  Spain  was  conceded  to  Philip  V,  nephew  of 
Louis  XIV  of  France,  while  Lombardy,  Naples  and 
Sardinia  were  united  with  Austria,  and  for  over  one 
hundred  years  France  and  Spain  lost  all  their  in- 
fluence in  Italy,  the  whole  Peninsula  becoming 
virtually  Austrian. 

By  the  victory  of  Turin  and  the  Treaty  of  Ras- 
tadt, the  States  of  Victor  Amedeo  were  greatly  en- 
larged, and  he  was  the  first  of  the  Dukes  of  Savoy  to 

[444] 


risked 


■  mere 


A  -Miu  nave  the 


f  '  himself  to  be  bci 


Later,  abor  ar  of  the  Spanish 

SMtre-iv^  ^        v'ictor  Amadt 


2         c  but  with  1 
f  i  Spaniards  at- 

"^  >sta,   Ivrea 

2  they  bc- 

<;  -   Amadco, 

>« 
o 

as 

a 
o 

a: 

o 


...   greatly  en- 
>nkes  of  Savov  to 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

bear  the  title  of  the  King  of  Sicily,  though  he  soon 
exchanged  Sicily  for  Sardinia  with  the  Emperor  of 
Germany,  and  the  Dukes  of  Savoy  have  ever  since 
been  known  as  the  Kings  of  Sardinia. 

During  the  reign  of  the  son  of  Victor  Amedeo  II, 
all  Europe  was  stirred  by  the  Polish  war,  and  the 
War  of  the  Succession  of  Austria  ( 1 73 1 ) . 

In  regard  to  the  choice  of  a  King  for  Poland  (Po- 
lish Kings  were  elected  by  the  people),  Austria  and 
Russia  took  sides  against  France  and  Spain.  The 
theatre  of  war  was  for  the  most  part  in  Italy,  and 
the  King  of  Sardinia  was  forced  in  a  measure  to  take 
part  in  order  to  preserve  his  own  States.  At  the 
treaty  of  peace,  signed  after  two  years'  fighting,  it  was 
decided  that  Charles  Bourbon  of  Spain  should  be  rec- 
ognized King  of  Naples  and  Sicily,  and  he  was  the 
first  to  assume  the  title  of  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies. 

The  Austrian  Succession  of  Maria  Theresa  was 
upheld  by  the  King  of  Sardinia  and  England,  and 
opposed  by  France  and  Spain,  and  a  nine  years'  war 
ensued.  At  length  the  powerful  army  of  Austrians 
and  Piedmontese  succeeded  in  driving  out  the  French 
and  Spanish  forces,  and  Italy  enjoyed  several  years  of 
much-needed  peace. 

In  1799  the  French  Revolution  startled  the  world, 
and   the   great  Napoleon  appears  upon  the  Italian 

[445] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

scene.  On  his  entrance  to  Italy  he  found  the  coun- 
try divided  in  this  wise  :  Piedmont  belonged  to  the 
House  of  Savoy  which  had  taken  the  title  of  King 
of  Sardinia.  Lombardy  was  under  the  Emperor  of 
Germany ;  the  two  republics  of  Genoa  and  Venice 
continued  to  exist,  but  in  degenerate  form  ;  in  the 
two  Sicilies  and  the  Dukedom  of  Parma,  Princes 
who  were  descended  from  the  Spanish  Bourbons, 
were  still  reigning  ;  Lucca  was  a  republic  ;  Tuscany 
was  ruled  by  a  Grand  Duke,  brother  of  the  Emperor 
of  Austria ;  Rome  and  the  Romagna  formed  the 
States  of  the  Church,  in  whose  midst  was  the  little 
Republic  of  San  Marino. 

What  Napoleon  accomplished  in  Italy  and  the 
marvelous  way  in  which  he  placed  Italy  under 
French  rule  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  is 
quite  familiar  to  all. 

After  the  battle  of  Marengo  (1800)  all  further 
thought  of  opposition  to  Napoleon  vanished,  and 
even  the  Pope  did  exactly  as  bidden.  But  once 
Emperor,  Napoleon  made  the  great  mistake  of  plac- 
ing on  the  conquered  thrones  members  of  his  family, 
utterly  inadequate,  many  of  them,  for  their  positions, 
and  who  became  not  only  annoying  to  him,  but 
worked  him  positive  mischief. 

The  King  of  Sardinia  could  not  hope  to  with- 

[446] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

stand  the  French  invasion,  and  Piedmont  became  for 
the  time,  the  Sub-Alpine  Republic,  and  Prince 
Borghese,  who  had  married  Pauline  Bonaparte,  was 
made  Governor.  Savoy  and  Nice  were  annexed  to 
France.  Eliza  Bonaparte  was  given  Tuscany ;  Murat, 
brother-in-law  of  Napoleon,  was  made  King  of 
Naples ;  Louis  Bonaparte  was  made  King  of  Holland, 
and  Lucien  was  made  King  of  Westphalia. 

The  great  Napoleon  did  much  for  Italy  in  many 
ways;  in  the  establishment  of  schools,  in  the  building 
of  wonderful  roads  and  bridges  that  are  used  to-day, 
and  he  made  many  other  improvements  which  remain 
to  remind  one  throughout  Italy,  and  indeed  through- 
out Europe,  that,  however  criticised  by  his  enemies. 
Napoleon  lived  and  labored  for  the  permanent  good 
of  the  countries  which  came  under  his  rule. 

After  the  Congress  of  Vienna  (1815),  Italy  en- 
joyed some  years  of  tranquillity,  and  by  virtue  of  the 
treaty  agreed  on  at  Vienna,  the  legitimate  princes 
were  for  the  most  part  restored  to  their  domains,  and 
pristine  forms  of  government  established. 

Sardinia,  Piedmont,  Savoy  and  Novara  were  re- 
stored to  their  former  King,  Genoa  being  also  added 
to  his  dominions.  The  countries  belonging  to 
Venice  and  Lombardy  were  made  over  to  Austria 
under  the  name  of  the  Lombardo- Venetian  King- 

[447] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

dom.  The  Neapolitan  and  Tuscan  States  were  re- 
stored to  their  former  sovereigns;  the  Pope  again 
took  possession  of  his  Roman  States.  The  duke- 
doms of  Reggio,  Modena  and  Mirandola  were  given 
to  Francis,  Duke  of  Austria,  w^hile  those  of  Parma, 
Piacenza  and  Guastella  were  given  to  Marie  Louise, 
wife  of  Napoleon. 

After  this,  Italy  enjoyed  some  years  of  tranquillity, 
and  then  followed  the  disastrous  revolutions  in  Sicily 
and  Naples  against  King  Ferdinand,  that  were  put 
down  eventually  by  Austrian  arms.  The  Pope  issued 
an  edict  at  this  time  (1820)  in  which  he  stated  that 
if  the  people  of  Italy  must  be  so  afflicted  by  the 
scourge  of  war,  he,  as  an  essentially  pacific  ruler, 
intended  to  preserve  perfect  neutrality  toward  all 
nations.  In  this  way  Rome  was  preserved  for  the 
time  from  disasters  of  war. 

In  Piedmont,  however,  the  revolutionary  spirit 
became  intense,  and  Victor  Emmanuel  I,  hearing 
that  many  of  the  cities  had  joined  the  rebels,  abdi- 
cated in  favor  of  his  brother,  Carlo  Felice,  then  liv- 
ing at  Modena,  meanwhile  appointing  his  cousin, 
Charles  Albert,  regent.  The  much-demanded  Con- 
stitution, similar  to  the  Spanish  Constitution  exacted 
in  Naples,  was  insisted  on  by  the  populace,  and  finally 
granted,  but  its  life  was  shorter  even  than  that  at 

[448] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

Naples  ;  the  Austrian  General  in  Milan  was  called 
upon  for  assistance,  and  the  Austrians,  marching  on 
Turin,  entered  the  city  without  resistance  and  the 
whole  revolution  collapsed. 

Instead  of  liberating  Piedmont  and  Naples,  and 
forming  a  united  Italy,  the  revolutionists  had  thus 
far  only  succeeded  in  adding  one  more  citadel,  Ales- 
sandria, to  be  occupied  by  the  Austrians.  Never- 
theless the  spirit  of  the  revolution  still  remained  and 
there  was  in  the  secret  societies,  or  Carbonari,  a 
definite  plan  to  unite  all  Italy  into  one  republic, 
to  remove  the  Pope  from  Rome,  and  to  drive  all  the 
Kings  of  Italy  from  their  thrones. 

In  1846  Pius  IX  was  elected  to  the  Pontifical 
seat,  and  his  first  act  was  to  grant  a  general  amnesty. 
He  promoted  many  other  reforms,  which  were  re- 
ceived with  great  applause  and  admiration,  and  the 
revolutionists  seized  this  opportunity  of  toleration  to 
spread  anew  throughout  Italy  the  tempting  idea  of 
making  it  one  united  land,  and  driving  out  the 
Austrian  tyrants  from  Lombardy.  The  cry  soon  arose 
on  every  hand,  "Long  live  Italy,  long  live  Pio 
Nono,  and  death  to  the  Austrians !  "  The  Milanese 
were  the  first  to  take  arms  against  the  Austrians, 
but  in  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  Independence  the 
Milanese  would  have  fared  sadly  indeed,  had  it  not 

[  449  1 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

been  for  the  help  given  them  by  Charles  Albert, 
King  of  Sardinia,  who,  at  the  death  of  Carlo  Felice 
had  ascended  the  throne.  Under  the  bad  leadership 
of  General  Ramorino,  the  Piedmontese  suffered  a 
fearful  defeat  at  Novara,  and  Charles  Albert,  broken- 
hearted at  the  loss  of  the  battle,  spoke  to  the  assem- 
bled chiefs  of  his  army  in  this  wise : 

"As  I  can  this  day  neither  save  Italy  nor  die  as  a  sol- 
dier, my  obligation  to  my  country  is  ended.  I  can  no 
longer  render  service  to  my  subjects,  to  whose  happiness  I 
have  devoted  eighteen  years  of  my  life,  and  therefore  I  lay 
down  my  crown,  and  place  it  on  the  head  of  my  son  and  suc- 
cessor. I  am  no  longer  King.  Your  King  is  now  my  son 
Victor  Emmanuel  II ." 

And  what  a  King  and  what  a  son! 

After  the  battle  of  Novara,  Piedmont  had  to  pay 
1,200,000  francs  to  Austria  as  the  price  of  peace, 
and  poor  Charles  Albert,  oppressed  with  grief  at  his 
fallen  fortunes,  died  in  1 849. 

In  Rome  also  affairs  were  becoming  desperate,  and 
the  assassination  of  Count  Rossi,  President  of  the 
Pope's  Ministry,  and  a  man  who  exerted  his  best  in- 
fluences and  great  ability  for  the  reorganization  of 
the  States  of  Italy,  brought  consternation  to  every 
one.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  opened  nego- 
tiations with  Naples,   Florence  and   Turin,  hoping 

[450] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

thus  to  form  a  basis  for  a  national  federation  of 
the  Italian  States.  The  revolutionists  saw  that  the 
establishment  of  law  and  order  and  a  new  Italy, 
under  Papal  rule,  would  but  ill  meet  their  cherished 
hopes  of  a  great,  independent  republic ;  Count  Rossi 
paid  the  price  of  their  disapproval  with  his  life. 

After  the  murder  of  Count  Rossi,  things  went 
from  bad  to  worse ;  the  revolutionists  besieged  the 
Vatican,  removed  the  guards  and  pointed  cannon  at 
the  entrance.  Pio  Nono  in  disguise  escaped  from 
the  Vatican  at  night,  and,  aided  by  Count  Spauro, 
joined  Cardinal  Antonelli  at  Gaeta.  General  con- 
frision  followed,  the  Papal  adherents  were  terrified, 
the  indifferent  were  astounded,  but  the  revolutionists 
were  filled  with  exultation,  and  immediately  took 
the  preliminary  steps  towards  the  proclaiming  of  a 
republic,  by  establishing  a  provisional  government, 
which  was  called  a  Junta.  The  leading  men  of  the 
Papal  Government  nearly  all  relinquished  their  posts; 
the  Chambers  and  Municipal  Body  resigned,  and, 
under  the  leadership  of  Joseph  Galletti  of  Bologna, 
the  following  decree  was  issued  February  9,  1849: 
"  The  Papacy  has  fallen  de  facto  and  de  jure  from 
being  the  head  of  the  Roman  States.  The  National 
Government  will  now  take  the  glorious  name  of 
Roman  Republic.  *' 

[451] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT   LIFE 

Spain,  France,  Portugal,  Austria  and  Naples,  all 
came  forward  now  to  restore  the  Pope  to  his  con- 
dition of  independence  and  dignity. 

Piedmont  and  Tuscany,  on  account  of  internal 
dissensions,  refused  to  join  the  league  of  the  Catholic 
powers.  Having  tried  all  pacific  means  in  vain,  the 
allied  powers  now  determined  to  intervene  by  force 
of  arms,  in  order  to  restore  Pius  IX  to  his  throne. 

The  French  were  the  first  on  the  scene,  tjje  Aus- 
trians  advancing  by  way  of  Lombardy  and  Tuscany. 

In  the  midst  of  the  general  hostilities,  Giuseppe 
Garibaldi,  the  bold  and  courageous  man  who  was  af- 
terwards to  prove  himself  one  of  the  real  liberators 
of  Italy,  appeared  on  the  scene;  a  man  of  action, 
obedient  in  supreme  emergencies  to  the  inspiration 
of  his  own  genius,  he  came  forward  now  with  fifteen 
hundred  picked  men  to  the  aid  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  received  with  enthusiasm  by  the  then 
heads  of  the  government,  and  fierce  fighting  now 
ensued  against  the  French,  who  only  succeeded  in 
entering  the  city  after  repeated  assaults,  and  order  was 
at  last  restored  by  the  French  General  Gudinot. 
Order  had  also  been  restored  in  Piedmont,  where 
Victor  Emmanuel  had  become  King,  and  the  Grand 
Duke  Leopold  had  again  control  over  Tuscany. 

The  French,  after  having  re-established  the  Pope 

[452] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

on  his  throne,  returned  in  part  to  their  own  country, 
leaving,  however,  a  garrison  in  Rome,  sufficient  to 
quell  any  disorders  that  might  afterwards  arise.  The 
Austrians  maintained  garrisons  in  Lombardy,  also 
a  close  watch  on  the  Papal  States,  and  for  some  ten 
years  Italy  was  at  peace. 

Piedmont,  during  this  time,  under  the  reign  of 
Victor  Emmanuel,  and  under  the  guidance  of  her 
greatest  statesman,  Cavour,  continued  steadily  for- 
ward, consolidating  her  power  and  extending  her 
influence. 

With  the  most  consummate  tact  and  diplomatic 
daring,  Cavour  made  an  alliance  between  Piedmont 
and  France,  always  placing  Piedmont  in  the  light  of 
one  of  the  great  European  powers.  To  justify  these 
assumptions.  Piedmont  sent  20,000  men  under  Gen- 
eral La  Marmora  to  the  Crimea  in  the  war  with 
France  and  England  against  Russia,  and  those  soldiers 
distinguished  themselves  at  the  victory  of  the  allies 
over  the  Russians  on  the  river  Tchernaya,  and  reaped 
their  full  glory  and  benefit  therefrom. 

After  the  disastrous  battle  against  the  Austrians  at 
Novara  in  1 849,  an  armistice  rather  than  a  real  peace 
had  been  concluded,  and  fierce  animosities  remained 
on  each  side.  Austria  began  to  make  powerful  arma- 
ments in  the  Lombardo- Venetian  territory,  and  Pied- 

[453] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

mont,  seeing  war  threatened,  began  to  arm  herself 
in  opposition ;  meanwhile  the  idea  of  a  United  Italy 
steadily  gained  ground  throughout  the  peninsula. 

Cavour's  diplomacy  with  Emperor  Napoleon  III 
was  remarkable.  His  frequent  journeyings  back  and 
forth  from  Piedmont  to  France,  his  cleverly  laid  plans, 
which  he  still  more  cleverly  succeeded  in  executing, 
are  all  well-known  matters  of  history.  Napoleon 
III  provoked  a  rupture  with  Austria,  and  on  Pied- 
mont's refusing  to  disarm  generally,  war  was  for- 
mally declared  on  April  26th,  1859.  The  French 
troops  with  Napoleon  III  at  their  head,  and  led  by 
the  best  generals  in  France,  at  once  poured  into  Pied- 
mont by  way  of  Genoa  and  Mont  Cenis. 

The  first  real  battle  was  at  Montebello  near  Cas- 
teggio,  where  the  Austrians  were  worsted.  Another 
battle  followed  at  Palestro,  where  the  allies  led  by 
Victor  Emmanuel,  displayed  great  courage,  and  at 
the  battle  of  Magenta,  on  the  fourth  of  June  the 
Austrians  were  completely  routed. 

After  these  successes  Victor  Emmanuel  and  Em- 
peror Napoleon  III  made  a  triumphal  entry  into 
Milan  on  January  8th.  More  victories  followed,  but 
the  decisive  battle  was  fought  at  Solferino  where  the 
fighting  line  extended  ten  miles,  and  where  500,000 
men  were  under  arms.     The  Emperor  Napoleon,  the 

[454] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

King  of  Sardinia,  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria  com- 
manded their  respective  armies  in  person,  and  it  was 
indeed  such  a  battle  as  reminded  one  of  the  days  of 
Aetius  and  Attila.  The  glory  or  disgrace  of  France 
and  Piedmont  hung  in  the  balance. 

The  fighting  began  at  four  in  the  morning  on  June 
24th,  and  lasted  till  late  the  next  afternoon,  when, 
favored  by  a  violent  storm,  the  allies  assailed  the 
enemy  with  so  much  vehemence  and  courage  that 
after  tremendous  fighting  the  victory  was  theirs.  The 
enemy  retired  across  the  Mincio,  to  an  impregnable 
position  in  a  plain  defended  by  the  four  fortresses  of 
Mantua,  Peschiera,  Verona,  and  Legnano. 

It  seemed  most  hazardous  to  attempt  to  attack  those 
fortresses  and  run  the  risk  of  losing  all  that  had  been 
already  gained;  therefore  the  preliminaries  of  peace 
were  signed  at  Villafranca  and  peace  concluded  at  Zu- 
rich. This  peace  was,  however,  far  from  satisfactory 
to  Piedmont,  for,  as  the  price  of  the  assistance  from 
Napoleon  III,  they  were  obliged  to  cede  to  France 
Savoy  and  Nice.  Thus,  while  it  gave  Lombardy  to 
the  King  of  Sardinia,  it  was  far  from  freeing  Italy 
from  foreign  domination  from  sea  to  sea. 

This  treaty  of  Villafranca  was  a  fearful  blow  and 
disappointment  to  the  hopes  and  aspirations  of  the 
Italian  people,  for  they  saw  the  brightest  chance  that 

[455] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

had  ever  occurred  since  the  old  Roman  times,  of  a 
free  and  united  country,  suddenly  vanish  before  them, 
and  they  knew  themselves  to  be  in  almost  the  same 
condition  as  they  were  before  the  war  began.  Vene- 
tia  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Austrians ;  but  though 
the  States  of  Southern  Italy  were  to  remain  under  the 
rule  of  the  Pope,  Piacenza,  Parma,  from  which  Marie 
Louise  had  taken  flight,  Modena,  Massa,  Carrara  and 
Tuscany,  having  driven  out  the  Grand  Duke  from 
Florence,  and  Bologna  under  Marquis  d*Azeglio, 
declared  themselves  in  favor  of  annexation  under  the 
rule  of  the  King  of  Sardinia. 

The  stipulation  in  the  Villafranca  treaty  that  for- 
bade a  foreign  army  to  enter  any  of  the  Italian  States 
for  the  sake  of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  the 
treaty,  made  it  possible  for  the  Piedmontese  govern- 
ment with  Rattazzi  at  the  head,  to  quietly  pursue 
their  purpose  of  annexation,  assimilate  the  laws  and 
institutions  of  all  the  difl^erent  States,  so  that  the  po- 
litical world  of  Europe  should  regard  the  annexa- 
tion of  these  States  to  Piedmont  as  ^fait  accompli, 

Cavour  now  came  forward  again,  and  with  the 
extraordinary  sagacity  with  which  he  was  endowed, 
added  to  his  wonderful  belief  in  the  justice  and  ulti- 
mate success  of  his  cause,  he  brought  over  France 
and  England  to  his  views. 

[456] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

He  pointed  out  the  impossibility  of  forcing  the 
population  of  Central  Italy  to  receive  again  the  re- 
actionary governments  which  they  had  expelled  from 
their  respective  capitals,  unless  by  military  force; 
a  plebiscite  was  resorted  to  in  the  various  States  which 
were  annexed,  and  a  large  majority  in  all  but  Tus- 
cany declared  itself.  It  seemed  very  unjust  that 
Savoy  and  Nice,  which  had  been  the  cradle  of  the 
dynasty  of  Piedmont,  should  be  separated  from  the 
now  so  much  desired  United  Italy,  but  both  provinces 
by  a  majority  of  votes  decided  for  annexation  to 
France. 

Victor  Emmanuel  is  said  to  have  declared  when 
obliged  to  submit  to  this  decision,  "  If  Austria  were 
not  on  my  heels,  by  the  Almighty,  I  would  not 
have  yielded  Nice  and  Savoy  to  France, — not  if  I 
had  been  obliged  to  march  an  army  in  their  defense.** 

The  new  Parliament,  with  members  chosen  from 
Lombardy,  Tuscany  and  the  other  annexed  States,  now 
opened  at  Turin.  The  King,  in  his  opening  speech, 
said  :  "  Italy  is  no  longer  an  open  field  for  the  am- 
bition of  foreigners ;  from  this  time  it  belongs  to  the 
Italians  themselves.  We  shall  have  many  obstacles 
to  surmount ;  but  upheld  by  public  opinion  and  by 
the  affection  of  the  people,  I  will  not  allow  any  of 
our  rights  to  be  violated  or  diminished.     Attached 

[457] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

as  my  ancestors  have  always  been  to  the  Catholic 
faith  and  the  Pope,  nevertheless  if  the  ecclesiastical 
authority  will  have  recourse  to  arms  for  its  temporal 
interests,  I  would  find  in  my  conscience  and  in  the 
traditions  of  my  family  the  force  necessary  to  main- 
tain our  civil  liberties  as  well  as  my  own  authority 
intact,  and  shall  have  to  answer  for  this  only  to  my 
own  people  and  to  God." 

It  was  only  natural  that  Southern  Italy  and  Sicily 
should  catch  the  enthusiasm  for  unification.  The 
revolutionary  spirit  was  the  more  increased  by  the 
galling  tyranny  of  the  police  officers  of  the  new 
King,  Francesco  II,  especially  in  Sicily,  where,  al- 
though there  were  revolts  and  several  attempts  at  in- 
surrection, there  was  not  the  widespread  revolution 
that  the  exaggerated  reports  spread  throughout 
Italy. 

In  i860  Garibaldi,  gaining  the  secret  sympathy 
of  the  King  of  Sardinia,  now  determined  to  seize 
the  opportunity  to  aid  the  Sicilian  insurgents,  who 
were  driven  from  their  homes  by  cruelty  of  govern- 
ment officials,  and  had  retired  in  small  bands  to  the 
mountains,  where  they  lived  perforce  after  the  man- 
ner of  brigands. 

Embarking  from  Genoa,  Garibaldi,  who  had  gath- 
ered around  him  many  of  his  old  companions  of  the 

[458] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

"  red  shirt,"  landed  in  Sicily,  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  revolutionary  movement,  and  having 
worsted  the  royal  troops  in  a  small  encounter,  deter- 
mined to  march  on  Palermo,  of  which  Garibaldi, 
after  much  fighting,  took  possession,  and  quickly 
became  master  of  the  entire  island. 

He  then  crossed  the  straits  of  Messina  with  his 
ever-increasing  army,  and  soon  Calabria,  Puglia,  and 
the  Abruzzi  opened  their  gates  before  him  as  a  con- 
queror. All  Naples  was  in  confusion.  The  King 
fled,  and  Garibaldi,  trusting  to  the  magic  of  his 
name,  left  behind  him  the  main  body  of  his  army, 
and  entered  Naples  with  only  a  half  dozen  friends 
and  supporters,  amidst  the  universal  cheers  of  the 
whole  population. 

Then  the  Kingdom  of  Naples,  which  had  lasted 
more  than  eight  hundred  years,  now  fell  almost 
without  striking  a  blow,  under  the  prestige  of  a 
popular  leader,  aided  by  the  enthusiasm  which  had 
been  created  by  the  party  of  action  in  favor  of  a  free 
and  united  Italy. 

The  Pope,  alarmed,  endeavored  to  raise  up  an 
army  to  maintain  and  increase  his  temporal  power. 
Victor  Emmanuel  saw  that  the  entrance  of  the 
foreign  army  was  alike  dangerous  to  Sardinia  and 
the  other  States  of  Italy,  and  at  once  organized  an 

[4'?9l 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

army  in  two  divisions,  one  under  General  Cialdini, 
which  passed  along  the  Adriatic  shores,  while  the 
other  under  Generals  Faute  and  Delia  Rocca  oc- 
cupied the  valley  of  the  Tiber. 

Garibaldi  meantime  gave  battle  once  more  against 
the  royal  troops,  and  won  a  victory  on  the  banks  of 
the  Volturno,  whence  he  now  entered  Gaeta. 

He  was  now  sole  dictator  of  Naples.  He  estab- 
lished many  reforms,  instituted  schools,  expelled  the 
Jesuits,  and  proclaimed  general  religious  liberty. 
The  Republican  party,  which  had  previously  been 
led  by  Mazzini,  and  with  which  Garibaldi  felt  the 
greatest  sympathy,  now  tried  to  prevent  the  annexa- 
tion of  the  two  Sicilies  to  the  Kingdom  of  Victor 
Emmanuel,  preferring  to  preserve  it  as  a  center  for 
republican  institutions,  from  which  the  policy  of  a 
united  Italian  Republic  could  be  later  proclaimed. 

But  Garibaldi  was  far  too  wise  a  man,  and  too 
earnest  a  patriot,  to  be  induced  to  any  hasty  adop- 
tion of  republican  institutions,  and  he  fully  realized 
the  necessity  of  following  the  plebiscite  as  the  only 
system  in  deciding  the  annexation  or  autonomy  of  the 
southern  provinces.  The  result  of  the  plebiscite  pro- 
claimed for  annexation  by  a  large  majority,  and  the 
most  sanguine  hopes  ot  the  National  party  were 
realized. 

[460J 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

Victor  Emmanuel  now  marched  to  Naples,  to  ren- 
der assistance  to  the  forces  of  Garibaldi,  and  complete 
the  conquest  of  the  country.  All  the  towns  through 
which  he  passed  greeted  their  new  king  with  accla- 
mations of  joy. 

Near  Capua  the  two  of  the  foremost  actors  in  the 
history  of  the  formation  of  United  Italy  met  with 
most  cordial  greetings,  and  on  the  7th  of  November 
the  King,  accompanied  by  Garibaldi,  made  a  tri- 
umphal entrance  into  Naples.  The  result  of  the 
plebiscite  was  brought  to  Victor  Emmanuel  the  next 
day,  by  a  deputation  inviting  him  to  assume  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  whole  of  Southern  Italy.  Garibaldi 
wished  to  keep  the  dictatorship  for  a  year  previous  to 
the  formal  annexation,  but  Victor  Emmanuel  (fear- 
ing to  compromise  the  country  in  the  eyes  of  Cath- 
olic Europe  by  an  independent  attack  on  Rome)  for 
many  excellent  reasons  refused,  and  Garibaldi,  con- 
sidering his  work  completed,  retired  to  his  cottage 
in  Caprera. 

Victor  Emmanuel,  King  of  Sardinia,  was  now 
King  of  Italy  by  the  grace  of  God  and  by  the  will 
of  the  nation.  But  Rome  still  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  Pope,  and  Cavour,  with  his  rare  ability,  now 
proceeded  to  untangle  this  fast  knot  in  the  solution 
of  Italian   unity.      He  declared  that  Rome  was  by 

[461] 


GLIMPSES   OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

right  the  proper  capital  of  Italy,  and  maintained  the 
famous  doctrine  of  "a  free  church  in  a  free  state." 
To  reconcile  the  Catholic  powers,  he  announced  his 
plan  to  give  to  the  Pope  perfect  freedom  of  action 
in  all  spiritual  matters,  while  reserving  for  the  King- 
dom of  Italy  the  prestige  of  its  ancient  capital.  This 
great  speech  made  in  the  Parliament  was  the  last  act 
of  Cavour's  wonderful  and  eventful  life,  for  on  the 
6th  of  June  he  died. 

The  occupation  of  Rome  was  now  the  question  of 
the  moment,  and  all  pacific  methods  were  attempted, 
always  meeting  the  same  reply,  "  Non  possumus^  The 
non-success  of  pacific  efforts  excited  the  party  of 
action  to  stronger  methods  of  procedure.  Garibaldi 
was  soon  to  the  fore  once  more.  **  Roma  o  morte!** 
rang  throughout  Italy,  but  the  government  did  not 
wish  to  compromise  Italy  in  the  eyes  of  Napoleon, 
who  still  continued  the  occupation  of  Rome  and  sent 
to  arrest  the  most  daring  revolutionists  ;  Garibaldi 
returned  again  to  Caprera. 

He  went  now  to  Sicily,  the  scene  of  his  former 
successes,  and  enrolled  many  of  the  Sicilian  youths 
under  his  banner ;  but  when  it  became  known  that 
his  goal  was  Rome,  Victor  Emmanuel  sent  a  royal 
army  to  watch  the  progress  of  events. 

Garibaldi  nevertheless  proceeded,  but  his  reception 

[462] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

this  time  in  Naples  was  far  different  from  his  first. 
The  country  was  quiet,  annexed  by  its  own  wish  to 
the  government  of  Victor  Emmanuel,  and  when  the 
government  troops  opposed  his  advance,  he  fired,  and 
after  a  brief  combat,  was  taken  prisoner  with  all  his 
followers,  who  were  dispersed  throughout  Italy.  The 
Italian  troops  were  not  allowed  to  cross  the  borders 
of  the  Papal  States,  and  the  boundary  lands  and 
frontiers  became  the  haunts  of  numerous  bands  of 
brigands,  who,  when  pursued,  took  refuge  in  the 
Roman  territory. 

France  began  to  wish  to  be  relieved  from  the  em- 
barrassments which  the  Roman  occupation  now  oc- 
casioned, and  an  agreement  was  at  last  reached  be- 
tween the  Italian  Government  and  the  French  Em- 
peror, that  neither  army  should  attack  the  other,  and 
that  the  French  troops  should  gradually  be  removed 
from  Rome ;  the  King  was  also  to  transfer  his  capital 
to  some  other  convenient  locality,  and  Florence  was 
selected, — en  route  for  Rome,  in  the  minds  of 
many. 

When  the  agreement  between  the  French  and 
Italian  governments  became  known.  Cardinal  An- 
tonelli,  the  Pope's  Prime  Minister,  at  first  remon- 
strated, and  then  began  to  enroll  troops. 

The  Italian  Government  now  signed  an  offensive 

[463] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

and  defensive  alliance  with  Prussia.  This  brought 
the  question  of  Venice  once  more  into  prominence. 

Prussia  declared  war  against  Austria  in  1866,  and 
Italy,  according  to  the  treaty  signed  in  Berlin,  did 
the  same.  The  Italians  fought  bravely  at  the  battle 
of  Custoza  and  Villafranca,  but  though  they  were 
worsted  by  the  Austrians  in  both,  their  armies  re- 
mained unbroken.  The  Prussians  meantime  marched 
victoriously  on  Vienna,  and  a  treaty  was  soon  signed 
by  virtue  of  which  Italy  obtained  Venice,  which,  by 
another  plebiscite,  was  incorporated  as  a  part  of  the 
Italian  Kingdom. 

Now  that  the  Venetian  question  was  plainly  set- 
tled, and  Venetia  added  to  the  Kingdom  of  Italy, 
the  desire  for  the  possession  of  Rome  to  become  the 
capital  became  more  ardent  than  ever.  The  Holy 
See  offered  a  firm  and  unwavering  resistance  to  any 
interference  of  civil  power ;  but  meantime  Na- 
poleon was  gradually  removing  his  troops  from 
Rome  according  to  his  treaty  with  Victor  Em- 
manuel, although  he  insisted  that  Italy  should  not 
depart  from  her  agreement  to  prevent  any  hostile 
force  from  entering  Rome  and  causing  revolution  in 
the  Papal  city. 

No  sooner  had  the  French  troops  left  Rome  than 
the  revolutionists,    headed  by  Garibaldi,  who  issued 

[464] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT   LIFE 

a  proclamation  urging  the  Roman  people  to  revolt, 
started  a  secret  expedition  to  invade  the  Papal  State, 
this  against  the  express  wishes  and  orders  of  the 
Government,  which  arrested  Garibaldi  and  sent  him 
to  his  home  in  Caprera.  Nevertheless  bands  of  in- 
surgents passed  the  Papal  frontiers,  and  urged  the 
population  to  revolt.  The  Roman  Government  com- 
plained to  the  French  Emperor,  who,  indignant  at 
what  he  considered  a  breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of 
Italy,  prepared  to  send  troops  back  to  Rome,  as  a 
protection  to  the  Holy  See  against  invasion. 

Garibaldi  unwisely  endeavored  once  more  to  attack 
Rome,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Papal  and  French 
troops,  and  forced  to  cross  the  frontier  where  he  was 
again  arrested.  Victor  Emmanuel  now  endeavored 
to  form  an  alliance  between  Italy,  Austria  and  France, 
hoping  in  this  way  to  come  to  an  amicable  settle- 
ment of  all  the  outstanding  questions,  —  the  Roman 
first  of  all.  Had  Napoleon  III  yielded  to  those  pro- 
posals, his  fate  would,  it  is  generally  thought,  have 
been  much  less  terrible. 

The  year  1867  closed  with  the  publication  of  the 
Dogma  of  Infallibility. 

1870  brought  the  war  between  France  and  Prus- 
sia, and  the  fearful  defeats  of  the  French  arms  are  too 
well  known  to  need  mention  here.     Suffice  it  to  say 

[46s] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT   LIFE 

that  France  needed  her  every  soldier,  and  all  French 
troops  were  now  withdrawn  from  Rome;  though 
Victor  Emmanuel  had  too  much  respect  for  his  com- 
pact with  Napoleon  to  take  advantage  of  his  misfor- 
tunes to  enter  Rome  by  force  of  arms ;  but  after  the 
catastrophe  at  Sedan,  which  was  followed  by  the 
deposition  of  the  Emperor,  and  the  proclamation  of 
the  French  Republic,  there  was  nothing  which  forced 
him  to  observe  a  treaty  with  a  power  that  now  ceased 
to  exist.  England  and  France  encouraged  the  occu- 
pation of  Rome  by  Victor  Emmanuel.  Spain  had  her 
own  revolution  to  look  after.  Austria  had  been  de- 
feated (and  lost  Venice),  and  was  not  in  a  position  to 
dictate  or  open  strife  anew.  Moreover  since  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Dogma  of  Infallibility  of  the  Pope, 
a  great  change  had  taken  place  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  as  to  the  advisability  of  the  Pope's  having 
temporal  power. 

Victor  Emmanuel  once  more  had  recourse  to 
diplomacy  and  the  ways  of  peace,  but  all  efforts  on 
his  part  to  persuade  Pius  IX  to  come  to  an  agreement 
met  with  the  same  dogged  obstinacy.  Accordingly 
an  army  of  fifty  thousand  men  under  General  Cadorna 
was  marched  across  the  frontier  into  the  Papal  terri- 
tory. 

The  inhabitants  welcomed  them  as  deliverers  rather 

[466] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

than  as  invaders,  and  on  the  twentieth  of  September 
(1870),  the  army  arrived  under  the  w^alls  of  the  city, 
and  w^ith  but  a  slight  struggle  and  a  few  shots  at  the 
Porta  Pia,  a  breach  was  made  in  the  walls,  and  the 
national  army  entered  Rome  amidst  the  enthusiastic 
acclamations  of  the  people. 

At  first  the  Pope  meditated  flight,  but  no  friendly 
country  was  near  him.  He  therefore  shut  himself 
up  in  the  Vatican,  where,  according  to  the  tradition 
established  by  him,  the  Popes  are  to-day  the  prison- 
ers of  the  King  of  Italy 

Directly  after  the  occupation  of  Rome,  a  plebiscite 
was  taken  to  determine  the  wishes  of  the  Roman 
people  ;  40,895  votes  were  cast  for  annexation  of 
Rome  to  the  Italian  Kingdom,  and  96  against  it. 

On  the  9th  of  October  a  deputation  of  citizens, 
headed  by  the  Duke  of  Sermoneta,  presented  them- 
selves before  the  King,  and  gave  him  the  result  of  the 
plebiscite,  formally  proclaiming  the  Pontifical  States 
henceforth  annexed  to  the  Kingdom  of  Italy.  Steps 
were  at  once  taken  to  transfer  the  Government  to 
Rome,  its  natural  seat.  From  that  time  forth  the 
whole  effort  of  the  King  and  his  ministers  was  to 
develop  the  resources  of  the  country,  to  promote 
its  industries,  and  extend  its  relations  with  foreign 
countries,  reform  its  finances,  organize  its  army  and 

[467] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN  COURT  LIFE 

navy,  and  to  promote  the  cause  of  national  educa- 
tion. 

Victor  Emmanuel  (//  Re  Galantuomo),  died  on  the 
9th  of  January,  1878,  receiving,  in  due  form,  the 
absolution  of  the  Church,  lamented  by  a  whole 
nation,  whose  freedom  he  had  done  more  than  any 
one  to  win.  A  month  later  Pius  IX  also  died.  King 
Umberto  I  proved  a  worthy  successor  to  his  gallant 
&ther,  and  his  sad  death  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
all  lovers  of  Italy. 

King  Victor  Emmanuel  III  is  surely  a  worthy,  fit- 
ting successor  to  his  great  progenitors.  With  such 
a  father  as  Umberto  I,  and  such  a  mother  as  Queen 
Margherita,  it  is  not  surprising  that  Victor  Em- 
manuel III  is  a  very  fine  man.  Every  care  was  lav- 
ished upon  his  education,  and  he  is  one  of  the  first 
scholars  of  Europe.  He  is  keenly  alive  to  all  the 
best  interests  of  Italy  ;  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  recent  agricultural  improvements  throughout 
Italy,  especially  in  the  endeavors  to  drain  and  im- 
prove the  Roman  Campagna;  he  has  given  his 
patronage  and  help  to  the  first  Italian  International 
Exhibition  at  Milan,  which  was  opened  most  bril- 
liantly a  short  time  ago,  and  in  the  recent  distress 
following  the  earthquake  in  Calabria  and  the  erup- 
tion of  Vesuvius,  His  Majesty  not  only  gave  most 

[468] 


GLIMPSES  OF  ITALIAN   COURT  LIFE 

generously  to  the  sufferers,  but  went  himself  among 
them,  and  both  he  and  the  Queen  personally  gave 
aid  and  assistance  to  those  in  peril  and  sorrow. 

These  personal  endeavors  of  the  King  and  Queen 
in  times  of  danger  to  care  for  the  welfare  of  their 
people  will  ever  be  remembered,  and  have  placed 
the  names  of  Victor  Emmanuel  and  Elena  deep  in 
the  hearts  of  the  Italian  people.  United  Italy  has 
had  a  glorious  beginning  with  such  Kings  as  Victor 
Emmanuel  and  Umberto  I,  and  with  Victor  Em- 
manuel III,  it  has  the  promise  of  a  great  and  bril- 
liant future. 


THE    END. 


[469] 


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